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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHIVI/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


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a4x 

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shall  contain  the  symbol  — »-  (meaning  "CON- 
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dernidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
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d'images  ndcessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mdthode. 


1  2  3 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

STORY  OF  NIAGARA. 


TO  WUICH  ABB  APPSMDED 


REMIXISCEXCES  OF  A  CUSTOM  HOUSE  OFFICER. 


» • « 


BY  C.  R.  EDWARDS. 


« • « 


BUFFALO: 
BREED,   LENT  &  CO. 

No.  340  Main  Street. 

1870. 


._A.  .,A 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  In  the  year  1870, 
By  CHARLES  R.  EDWARDS, 

in  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


%I3 
V-S 

Warren,  Johnson  &  Co. 

Stereoty/>ers,  Printers  and  Binders, 

Buffalo,  N.  Y. 


CONTENTS. 


INTRODUCTION. 

CHAPTER  I. 

Tho  Widow's  Son—Scenes  at  the  Farm  House— The  Telegram— A 
Sudden  Fright — A  Secret  Office — Prospect  of  going  to  Niagara  .  19 

CHAPTER  II. 

Dangers  Anticipated — "What  some  people  do  at  Niagara — A  Lover 
dismissed — The  Secret  Slander — Another  reading  of  an  old  letter — 
Miss  Sommers  returns  to  Niagara 32 

CHAPTER  III. 

The  Country  Baileys— And  the  Village  Baileys— Tho  Country  Cousin 
becomes  a  Politician — Tho  Mistake — Social  Inconsistency  ...  40 

CHAPTER  IV. 
Deacon  Sommers  of  Niagara — Too  slight  an  acquaintance  with  Jared 
Bailey — How  Benjamin  and  the  Deacon's  Daughter  became  Lov- 
ers   47 

CHAPTER  V. 

The  Plotters— The  Courtship— Letter  from  Niagara— The  Widow's 
Daughter  —  Benjamin's  Suspicions  —  The  Fraudulent  Will  — The 
Criminal  Assault  —  The  Mysterious  Disappearance  of  Eleanor 
Grace 53 

CHAPTER  VI. 

A  peep  into  a  Private  Political  Caucus— A  Humiliating  Necessity — 
Tho  Little  Lawyer's  Startling  Proposition 68 


IV 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

An  Unusual  Visit  —  Mysterious  Matters  referred  to  —  Most  Angry 
towards  whom  ho  has  most  Injured — How  a  bold,  bad  man  tries  to 
stand  upon  his  dignity 74 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

How  an  angry  man  flourished  his  cane  and  talked  to  the  "hitching- 
post" — Strange  Happenings  for  one  day — Black  Tom's  Opinion  of 
Judge  Bailey  —  An  Affecting  Incident  —  Aunt  Polly  and  Little 
Tilly— The  Niagara  Frontier 84 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Scenes  at  Niagara  —  An  Inquisitive  Servant  —  A  Talking  Ghost — 
Deacon  Sommers — Tlie  Old  "Fugitive  Slave  Law" — Mrs,  Hart- 
ley's Letter — More  Disclosures 01 

CHAPTER  X. 

Laura  urges  Letters  of  Inquiry  —  Letter  to  Adeline  —  Mysterious 
Things — How  and  why  Concealed — Judge  Bailey — Alore  about  the 
Will  fraud 102 

CHAPTER  XL 

Frightened  at  last — A  Fit — Deeper  Injury  planned  against  the  Inno- 
cent—  Adeline's  Silence  —  Rev.  Mr.  Smooth  well — David  Bailey 
"proposes"  by  Letter  to  Laura  Sommers 112 

CHAPTER  XII. 

The  Detective  starts  for  Niagara — An  act  of  Politeness — Almost  a 
Discovery — A  Trick  of  Travel 125 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

The  two  Detectives — A  Laughable  and  Mutual  Deception — Benjamin 
learns  something  of  Niagara  Falls  and  Smugglers 135 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Benjamin  arrives  at  the  Falls — A  Hackman  who  understands  his 
business  —  Experience  as  a  Stranger  —  Points  of  Interest  to  Vis- 
itors     145 


CONTENTS.  V 

CIIArTER  XV. 

« 

Tho  Hack-driver  continues  to  interest  Benjamin — Other  Strangers — 
Another  Custom  House  Officer  —  Gulliver's  Driver  —  Smuggling 
talked  of — Hints  of  how  it  is  done 153 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

More  Experience  at  Niagara — Eloquence  of  tho  Guide — Interesting 
Matters — Queer  place  for  a  Suicide,  a  Murder  and  a  Wedding — 
Accidents — Cholera,  etc 161 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Benjamin  and  the  Collector  of  Customs — A  Ramble  on  the  bank  o 
Niagara — Meeting  Black-legs — Benjamin  charged  with  a  crime — 
Tho  Mysterious  Witness — Laughable  Impudence 170 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Excitement  in  tho  Bar-room — More  about  the  Black-legs — "Disbo 
der  Bolico"  —  A  Stranger  talked  of  in  tho  Village  of  Niagara 
Falls — A  Talk  of  Laura's  Lovers — Deacon  Sommors  puzzled  182 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

A  Singular  Comparison  of  Letters  —  How  a  Minister  proposed  to 
Laura — How  a  Colonel  proposed — Laura's  Opinion  of  them  .    192 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Suspicious  Rumors  —  Fears  of  Exposure  —  Tho  two  Detectives  —  A 
Laughable  Discovery — Tho  Whisky  Smugglers — Ben.  in  bad  com- 
pany— Something  about  tho  Will  fraud 201 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

More  Things  peculiar  to  tho  Frontier — A  Fair  Smuggler — Dobbins 


tho  new  Officer — Makes  a  Seizure — Falls  in  Love- 
Auction — Tlio  Smuggled  Dress  Patterns  .  .    •   • 


-A  Custom  House 
214 


vi 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

Dobbins  gets  Dcepor  in  Love  with  the  Deacon's  Daughter — Troubled 
with  Nervous  Mental  Inquiries — Excitement  at  the  Auction— Tho 
Mysterious  Bidder 228 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Our  Detective  crosses  Niagara  River  with  Smugglers  at  midnight — 
Pistols — Officers — Stories  among  the  Smugglers — A  Trick  of  old 
Chewbrick — Figsley  hints  about  one  Jared  Bailey — Benjamin's 
presence  of  mind-  -Learning  something  of  Interest  to  Himself  238 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Our  Detective's  Letter — Smugglers  Planning  a  Robbery — A  Villain's 
Reflections  —  Old  Crimes  reaching  into  the  Present  —  Figsley — 
Vrrman — Jared  Bailey — Revelations  of  a  lost  Letter — A  Chain  of 
Circumstances  —  Deacon  Sommers  hears  of  Benjamin  Bailey — 
Unsuspected  Danger 2i9 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

The  Mile-woods — How  Benjamin  happened  at  the  Robber's  Shanty — 
Concealed  in  the  loft — The  Five  Robbers — Victims  to  be  thrown  over 
the  Falls — Benjamin  resolves  to  die  attempting  their  rescue   .    2G0 

CHAPTER  XXVL 

An  Embarrassing  Invitation — A  Manly  Reply — A  Short  and  Affect- 
ing Explanation — More  Disclosures — The  Fate  of  Eleanor  Grace — 
The  Will — Death  of  Judge  Bailey  —  Justice,  Truth  and  Happi- 
ness   270 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

Of  the  Events  which  force  our  story  to  its  conclusion — And  what 
became  of  the  principal  characters 282 


PART   II. 


REMIXISCENCKS  OF  A  CUSTOM  HOUSE  OFFICER. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Custom  IIouso  Regulations  nt  tlio  Niagara  Suspension  Bridge — Stran- 
gers crossing  the  Bridge  unmindful  of  Custom  Uouso  Laws — Tho 
Consequences — Amusing  Incidents — A  Senator — Duties  on  Indian 
Bead  Work,  etc.  —  Blaming  General  Scott  —  Inspecting  a  Strange 
Wagon  by  lamplight — Affecting  Incidents — How  Custom  House 
Officers  are  sometimes  deceived 291 

CHAPTER  II. 

Law  against  bringing  Bottles  of  Liquor  from  Canada  into  tho  States — 
Women  Smugglers — Wit  of  an  Irish  Washer-woman  caught  Smug- 
gling— The  Western  Drover  and  his  Tobacco,  in  Three  Acts — The 
Angry  Scone  —  Polite  Kindness  —  Reconciliation 301 

CHAPTER  IIL 

Appearances  often  Deceiving — The  Beggar's  Bundle — Tho  "  Intelli- 
gent Gentleman" — "A  Reliable  Source" — A  Little  Reflection — 
Tho  Sulphur  Springs  —  Suspension  Bridge  Tolls  —  A  Midnight 
Office— The  Devil  and  His  Wife 310 

CHAPTER  IV. 

The  Preacher's  Brandy  —  Strange  Companions  —  Mr.  OTlinigan— 
Astonishing  Figures  —  The  Unfortunate  Widow  —  Custom  House 
Laws— Two  Puzzling  Questions — When  are  Household  Goods  and 
Tools  of  Trade  free  of  duty 317 

CHAPTER  V. 

Excursion  Parties  crossing  tho  Bridge — Amusing  Incidents — More 
Information  about  Custom  House  matters — Qualities  requisite  for 
an  Officer — How  to  please  the  Public  and  still  inspect  their  Bag- 
gage— Tho  Stove-pipe  Hat — The  man  who  said  "by  Mighty"— 
Emigrants  crossing  the  Bridge— Other  Incidents "25 


INTRODUCTION. 


Among  the  incidents  at  Niagara  Falls,  and  in  life  on 
the  Niagara  frontier,  may  be  found  the  material  for  many 
an  interesting  volume  that  has  never  been  v/rittcn, — facts 
that  are  stranger  than  fiction ;  and  events,  which,  how- 
ever exciting  in  themselves,  possess  additional  interest 
from  their  association  with  one  of  the  most  romantic  and 
most  famous  localities  in  the  world. 

The  traveler  from  every  country  who  journeys  to  any 
foreign  clime,  is  as  sure  to  wend  his  way  to  Niagara  as 
the  Arab  to  make  his  pilgrimage  to  Mecca.  Here  have 
come  some  of  tho  most  renowned  personages;  among 
whom  have  been  Presidents  and  Princes,  and  the  Queen 
of  the  Sandwich  Islands.  The  Europeans,  the  South 
Americans,  and  the  Japanese,  have  paid  their  respects  to 
Niagara.  So  have  ambassadors  from  China,  with  their 
gaudy  costumes,  and  long  braided  hair  dangling  from 
their  heads  in  Oriental  style.  And  then  a  score  of 
Indians,  chiefs  on  their  way  to  Washington  from   the 

region  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  have  paused  to  look 
1* 


i 


10 


INTRODUCTION. 


iijton  the  work  of  the  Great  Spirit,  and  upon  the  white 
man's  bridges  over  tlic  cliasm  I  And  while  viewing  the 
seene,  with  the  serious  gravity  of  the  red  man,  have  they 
sat  in  groups  upon  the  banks  of  the  river  and  passed 
round  3  pipe  of  peace,  each  taking  a  few  puffs  of 
tobacco  smoke  after  their  peculiar  custom.  Occasionally 
an  Indian  trafficker  from  some  small  tribe,  not  far  away, 
can  tell  of  the  once  renowned  war-chief,  Brandt. 

And  some  of  the  Senecas  here  remember  their  cele- 
brated chief.  Red  Jacket,  who  died  near  Buffalo,  N.  Y., 
not  many  years  ago,  at  the  age  of  one  hundred  years. 
It  was  lied  Jacket  who  said  to  the  missionary,  that  the 
white  man's  religion  was  not  necessary  for  Indians,  else 
the  Great  Spirit  would  have  sent  it  to  their  fathers  1 

Nine  miles  north-east  of  the  Falls  is  an  Indian  village 
of  Tuscaroras,  a  tribe  numbering  about  three  hundred. 
Several  interesting  accounts  of  real  life  among  this  tribe 
are  related  by  the  white  inhabitants  near  them,  one  of 
which  is  the  true  story  of  the  British  officer,  who,  many 
years  ago,  mamed  an  Indian  girl  of  the  tribe;  a  de- 
scendant of  wdiom  is  now  a  well  known  Captain  in  the 
United  States  army.  Known  to  many  also,  was  the 
white  missionary  girl,  who  married  a  pious  Indian  of  the 
tribe.  Frequently  has  the  visitor  at  the  Falls  gone  to  the 
Indian  village  and  heard  her  Indian  husband  interpret 
the  sermons  of  the  white  preacher.  The  wife  of  the 
present  Tuscarora  chief  is  a  well  educated  Indian  woman, 
and  her  brother  is  known  to  the  people  of  the  United 


INTRODUCTION. 


11 


States  as  a  gcntloinan  of  fine  accoinplislimcnts,  and  who 
served  with  distinguished  ability  upon  the  stall'  of  Gen. 
Grant 

The  small  remnant  of  Indians  now  found  in  tliis 
locality,  seem,  however,  like  some  ancient  relic  of  a 
mysterious  race  which  soon  will  take  their  last  look  at 
Niagara. 

Upon  this  frontier,  time  has  witnessed  the  important 
movements  of  armies,  Indian  massacres,  and  the  abortive 
attempts  of  Canadian  rebellions.  Here  the  political  fugi- 
tives of  one  country  have  crossed  for  safety  into  the 
other;  and  criminals  have  left  their  own  country — for 
their  country's  good !  And  still  continue  the  expert  and 
daring  operations  of  smugglers,  and  the  attempts  of  gov- 
ernment ofEcials  to  detect  and  capture  them ;  the  secret 
history  of  which  will  furnish  all  varieties  of  incidents 
from  the  amusing  to  the  tragical,  and  from  plans  of  suc- 
cessful strategy  to  plans  of  ridicidous  failure. 

Across  this  river  the  so-called  underground-railroads 
once  had  several  of  their  terminations;  where  fugitive 
slaves  were  landed  from  the  United  States  into  Canada, 
a  work  once  secretly  carried  on  by  the  anti-slavery  men. 
Subsequently,  during  the  great  rebellion,  the  tables  were 
turned,  and  the  original  owner  in  many  cases  became  the 
fugitive,  crossing  the  same  frontier  for  safety  where  his 
former  slaves  had  once  fled  before  him!  but  could  now 
return  to  the  States  for  their  year  of  jubilee ! 


.  i 


12 


INTRODUCTION. 


The  Niagara  River  is  thirty-six  miles  in  length:  its 
course  northward,  and  the  center  of  the  stream  part  of 
the  boundary  line  between  the  United  States  and  Canada. 
It  i3  the  outlet  of  Lake  Erie,  carrying  the  waters  of  the 
great  upper  lakes  into  Lake  Ontano  on  their  way  to  the 
River  St  Lawrence  and  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  On  the 
shore  of  Lake  Erie,  at  the  head  of  the  Niagara,  stands  the 
city  of  Buffalo,  containing  a  population  of  one  hundred 
and  twenty  thousand  inhabitants,  which  are  principally  of 
English  and  German  descent. 

From  Lake  Erie  to  the  Falls  the  distance  is  twenty-two 
miles ;  the  river  in  no  place  less  than  three-fourths  of  a 
mile  in  width ;  the  banks  low,  and  the  surrounding  coun- 
try comparatively  level. 

Five  miles  before  reaching  the  Falls  the  little  village  of 
La  Salle  stands  upon  the  American  shore.  At  this  place 
was  constructed  the  first  vessel  that  ever  navigated  Lake 
Erie  or  the  upper  lakes.  It  was  sixty  tons  burden,  and 
built  in  1679,  by  Robert  La  Salle,  a  Frenchman,  who,  a 
little  before  this  time,  had  established  trading  posts  here 
and  at  the  mouth  of  the  river.  A  little  below  this  once 
stood  Fort  Schlosser.  Upon  the  opposite  shore,  three 
miles  from  the  Falls,  is  the  Canadian  village  of  Chippewa, 
near  which  the  Niagara  receives  the  waters  of  Welland 
River,  also  known  as  Chippewa  Creek.  To  these  places 
the  Niagara  River  is  navigable.  And  between  these 
landings  and  among  the  islands  of  the  river  the  smug- 
glers make  their  midnight  trips  by  sail  and  oar,  at  the 


I 


INTRODUCTION. 


13 


risk  of  accidents  that  would  send  them  into  the  merciless 
rapids  below,  as  well  as  at  the  risk  of  meeting  custom- 
house oflicers  on  shore  and  river,  armed  with  as  deadly 
weapons  as  themselves. 

For  a  distance  of  one  mile  before  reaching  the  Falls, 
the  river — a  mile  in  width — becomes  grand  and  terrible 
in  its  swift  descent;  and  finally,  being  divided  at  the 
edge  of  the  fall  by  a  wild,  romantic  island,  the  parted 
waters  plunge  on  either  side  in  a  perjoendicular  descent 
over  the  end  and  side  of  a  chasm  one  hundred  and  sixty 
feet  in  depth. 

The  gorge  of  Niagara  with  its  varied  and  picturesque 
scenery,  and  increasing  in  depth  by  the  descent  of  its 
rapids,  and  being  about  one-third  the  width  of  the  Falls, 
winds  its  way  for  seven  miles,  when  there  is  a  sudden 
descent  of  several  hundred  feet  in  the  face  of  the  country, 
forming  a  one-sided  mountain,  which  stretches  far  away 
on  either  side,  to  the  east  and  to  the  west.  At  the  top  of 
this  mountain-side,  near  the  gorge,  and  upon  Canadian 
ground,  stands  Brock's  Monument,  erected  in  memory  of 
the  British  General  who  was  killed  about  half-way  down 
the  mountain  in  the  battle  of  Queenston  Heights,  fought 
on  the  lltli  of  October,  1812,  between  the  British  and 
Americans.  At  the  foot  of  the  mountain  is  a  small 
Canadian  village  known  as  Queenston.  Upon  the  Amer- 
ican side  of  the  river,  directly  opposite,  is  the  ancient 
looking  village  of  Levviston,  once  the  scene  of  an  Indian 
massacre,  and  famous  in  the  history  of  this  frontier. 


mihm 


14 


INTRODUCTION. 


From  tliesc  two  places  the  river  flows  in  a  smootli  cur- 
rent to  Lake  Ontario,  a  distance  of  seven  miles.  At  the 
mouth  of  the  river,  upon  the  American  shore,  is  the  old 
Fort  Niagara..  Directly  opposite  stands  guard  the  Cana- 
dian Fort  Massasauga.  From  Lake  Ontario  steamboats 
bring  their  passengers  up  the  river  as  far  as  Lewiston  and 
Queenston. 

No  boat  has  ever  attempted  to  ascend  the  rapids  in  the 
gorge.  Only  one  instance  of  safe  descent  has  been  known, 
which  was  that  of  J.  E.  Eobinson,  an  old  resident  at  the 
Falls,  whose  daring  and  skill,  among  other  good  deeds  of 
the  kind,  rescued  Chapin  in  1839,  from  an  island  in  the 
rapids  near  the  brink  of  the  Falls,  below  Goat  Island 
bridge,  and  near  the  spot  where  in  1853,  citizens  and 
strangers  witnessed  for  eight  hours  the  vain  attempts  to 
rescue  Avery. 

The  village  of  Niagara  Falls  is  upon  the  American  side 
and  has  a  population  of  four  thousand  inhabitants,  besides 
the  strangers  w^ho  in  summer  throng  its  extensive  hotels 
near  the  great  cataract  It  is  estimated  that  more  than 
one  hundred  thousand  people  visit  this  place  annually. 
One  peculiar  feature  of  busy  life  near  the  large  hotels  and 
at  interesting  points  upon  the  banks  of  the  river,  are  the 
bazaars  of  Indian  curiosities  and  geological  specimens, 
and  whatever  the  visitor  could  desire  to  take  home  as 
appropriate  mementos  of  Niagara. 

Goat  Island,  which  divides  the  Falls,  contains  sixty- 
one  acres,  and  is  reached  from  the  American  side  by  an 


INTRODUCTION. 


16 


iron  brulgo  over  the  rapids.  Immediately  below  the 
Falls  the  river  in  the  deep  chasm,  is  for  a  short  distance, 
safely  crossed  in  small  ferry  boats,  which  the  visitor  may 
reach  by  descending  a  stairway  of  291  steps.  At  the 
top  of  the  banks  the  chasm  is  crossed  by  footmen  £md 
carriages,  upon  one  of  the  longest  suspension  bridges  in 
the  world ;  where,  upon  the  Canada  side  is  one  of  the 
best  and  most  extensive  hotels  m  the  country,  built  in 
this  rural  and  romantic  location  to  afford  its  guests  a 
front  view  of  the  whole  Falls.  A  still  better  view,  how- 
ever, is  obtained  by  ap})roaching  near  where  the  famous 
Table  Rock  once  was.  Large;  portions  of  this  rock,  which 
projected  for  a  great  distance  over  the  chasm,  fell  in  1818, 
1828  and  1850.  Here,  descending  by  a  stairway  into  the 
chasm.,  the  visitor  may  be  safely  guided  into  a  cave  behind 
the  great  sheet  of  water.  The  large  number  of  visitors 
to  this  locality,  upon  the  Canada  sida,  led  a  gentleman  of 
wealth  and  scientilic  taste,  some  years  ago,  to  conceive  the 
idea  of  building  an  extensive  museum  for  the  exhibition 
of  natural  and  artificial  objects  of  interest  For  this  pur- 
pose a  fine  and  imposing  stone  structure  was  erected  near 
Table  Rock,  where  one  of  the  most  interesting  and  scien- 
tific collections  is  visited  by  the  traveler.  Another  ele- 
gant stone  building  with  a  large  observatory  at  its  top,  is 
built  close  upon  the  bank  of  the  Canadian  Fall.  From 
this  observatory  the  traveler  obtains  one  of  the  grandest 
views  of  the  Falls,  the  chasm,  the  rapids  and  the  surround- 
ing scenery. 


Nr^ 


t 


16 


INTUODl'CTIOX. 


One  mile  west  is  tlic  battle  grouiul  of  Luiuly's  Laiio,  a 
point  of  historic  interest,  where  that  terrible  jniJniglit 
contest  was  fought  between  the  United  States  forces  under 
Gen.  Scott,  and  the  British  under  Gen.  Drummond,  July 
25th,  1814,  twenty  days  after  the  battle  of  Chippewa. 

Among  points  of  interest  along  the  gorge  of  Niagara 
are  Buttery's  Rapids,  the  Whirlpool  and  the  Devil's  Hole. 
At  the  latter  place,  three  and  a  half  miles  below  the  Falls, 
and  upon  the  American  side,  a  detachment  of  one  hundred 
British  soldiers,  in  1763,  were  sur])rised  by  a  party  of  Sen- 
eca Indians,  and  all  but  two  men,  Steadman  and  Mathews, 
were  massacred  or  driven  to  destruction  over  the  precipice. 
Near  Brantford  in  Canada,  sixty-live  miles  west  of  the 
scene  of  this  massacre,  is  the  grave  of  Brandt,  the  Indian 
chief  who  led  on  this  terrible  slaughter. 

Across  the  chasm,  two  miles  below  the  Falls,  is  the 
great  railroad  suspension  bridge,  completed  in  1855,  and 
the  first  of  the  kind  ever  constructed.  Its  magnificent 
and  substantial  appearance,  with  long  trains  of  cars  mov- 
ing on  its  deck  or  upper  floor,  its  net  work  sides,  and  foo^ 
men  and  carriages  crossing  on  its  lower  floor,  excite  the 
wonder  and  admiration  of  every  beholder.  This  bridge 
unites,  in  social  intercourse,  the  American  village  of  Niag- 
ara City  with  the  Canadian  village  of  Clifton.  As  rail- 
road stations  both  places  are  more  commonly  known  as 
Suspension  Bridge.  The  New  York  Central  Railroad 
being  connected  by  this  bridge  to  the  Great  Western,  run- 
ning through  Canada  and  connecting  with  the  Michigan 


INTKODUCTION. 


17 


Central,  makes  one  of  tlic  most  direct  and  desirable  routevS 
from  New  York  city  to  Chicago  and  the  West. 

And  now,  dear  reader,  having  given  a  somewhat  lengthy 
historical  introduction  to  the  locality,  we  offer  only  a  word 
about  the  story : 

Its  plot  will  illustrate  how  strangely  and  how  secretly 
fortune  and  misfortune,  happiness  and  sorrow,  do  some- 
times come  upon  the  realities  of  life,  and  how  varied  are 
the  characters  and  the  scenes  in  which  God's  designs  are 
controlling  human  plans  ;  from  the  pious  contentment  of 
Black  Tom  and  the  fisherman  to  the  troubles  of  the  dis 
sipated  Figsley;  from  the  hypocrisy  of  the  aristocratic 
Jarcd  Bailey  to  the  unsuspicious  family  of  Deacon  Som* 
mers ;  from  the  anxieties  of  Miss  Sommers  and  her  rival 
lovers  to  the  desponding  Adeline  and  the  mirthful  Dinah. 

It  is  well,  too,  if  many  a  reader  shall  receive  a  few  hints 
through  some  of  the  characters  in  this  book,  before  meet- 
ing them  elsewhere. 

The  interest  and  value  of  the  story  are  greatly  increased 
in  the  fact  that  some  of  the  characters,  especially  the  cus- 
tom-house officers,  and  one  of  the  rival  lovers,  bring  to 
liglit  mucli  of  the  secret  history  of  life  and  doings  at 
Niagara.  That  this  task  might  be  correctly  performed, 
the  writer  took  occasion  to  become  personally  acquainted 
in  the  locality.  And  hence,  reader,  the  manuscript  for 
this  book  was  written  within  siglit  of  the  great  cataract 

Eespectfully, 

The  Author. 


I 


A  STORY  OF  NIAGARA, 


-•o^ 


CHAPTER  I 


The  Widow's  Son— Scenes  at  the  Fiirin-houac— Tho  Telegram— A  Sudden  Fright— 
A  Secret  Ofllce— Pi-ospcct  of  going  to  Niagara. 


The  locality,  a  picturesque  and  fertile  valley — tlie 
neighborhood,  a  fanning  community;  and  here,  a  mile 
distant  from  the  pleasant  little  village  of  Fallington, 
N.  Y..  stood  the  farm-house  where  Mrs.  Bailey  had  resided 
since  the  death  of  her  husband.  She  liad  grown  feeble 
with  age;  and  a  nervousness  from  which  she  had  long 
suffered,  had  become  much  aggravated  by  her  anxieties 
occasioned  by  the  war.  The  intended  husband  of  her 
daughter  Matilda  had  been  killed  at  the  battle  of  Fair 
Oaks,  and  it  was  only  by  Mrs.  Bailey's  almost  fi-antic 
exertions  and  certain  influences  with  the  examining  sur- 
geon, that  her  son  Benjamin  had  been  prevented,  three 
years  before  this,  from  entering  the  army. 

Widow  Bailey  was  patriotic,  but  she  had  a  holy  horror 
of  war;  and  when  her  son  told  her  that  both  the  Falling- 
ton  ministers  urged  the  young  men  to  enlist,  she  replied: 


20 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


"Mercy  on  mc!  Benjamin;  tliey  luul  better  read  tlio 
Scri})tures  where  it  says,  '  Thou  shalt  not  kill ! '  " 

When  told  that  the  South  were  fighting  for  a  freedom 
to  enslave,  but  the  North  for  the  Union  and  freedom  for 
all,  without  distinction  of  creed,  or  birth,  or  color,  she 
said: 

"I  know  it,  Benjamin;  but  mercy  on  me!  the  rest  of 
the  politicians,  and  the  ministers  too, — if  they  can't  settle 
it  peaceably, — can  go  to  the  war  as  well  as  I  can  spare 
youl  Mercy  on  me!  they  are  no  better  to  be  shot  at, 
Benjamin,  than  you  are ! " 

At  last,  the  war  had  reached  the  summer  of  1864,  and 
althougli  its  actual  presence  was  almost  wholly  confined 
to  the  slaveholding  States,  yet,  in  many  ways,  its  effects 
had  been  felt  in  every  home  in  the  North. 

Of  late,  or  rather  since  the  fall  elections,  Mrs.  Bailey 
had  surmised  a  new  source  of  trouble:  Benjamin — 
although  he  had  been  rejected  by  the  examining  surgeon, 
as  McLiner  had  contrived  it  for  Mrs.  Bailey — was  becom- 
ing an  active  politician,  and  had  made  several  speeches 
favoring  the  war.  She  was  not  so  anxious  now  that  poli- 
ticians should  do  the  fighting.  She  feared  her  son's 
increasing  influence  in  his  political  party  might  lead 
him  to  obtain  a  captain's  commission  in  the  army;  and 
she  thought — poor,  innocent  soul ! — that  captains  always 
rushed  into  battle  in  front  of  their  companies. 

Possibly  widow  Bailey  may  have  been  musing  upon 
these  things,  when,  one  afternoon  about  the  middle  of 
July,  in  the  year  above  mentioned,  her  thoughts  were 
interrupted  by  somebody  rapping  on  the  front  door  of 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


21 


ho 


lier  dwelling.  Her  fingera  stopped  on  a  half  taken  stitch 
of  her  knitting-work,  and,  eager  to  know  who  was  the 
caller,  she  hastened  to  the  door  herself. 

"  Here's  a  telegraph  dispatch  for  Mr.  Benjamin  Bailey," 
said  a  voice,  which  began  uttering  the  announcement  an 
instant  before  Mrs.  Bailey  had  fairly  observed  wlio  was  the 
caller;  for  the  message-boy  had  just  begun  the  duties  of 
his  new  employment,  and  had  been  instructed  by  the 
operator  that  "  telegraphic  dispatches  must  be  dispatched 
with  the  utmost  dispatch ;"  which  tautology  the  operator 
explained  by  adding,  "or,  in  other  words,  boy,  take  these 
messages  quick  as  you  can;"  from  all  of  which  the  idea 
of  haste  had  been  certainly  and  effectually  conveyed  to 
the  boy's  mind  and  practice,  whatever  the  real  practice  of 
the  operator. 

"What!  a  telegraph  for  us?  Why,  mercy  on  mel 
Why,  where  is  Benjamin?  I  wonder  if  anything  has 
happened — or  if  anybody  is  hurt — or  what 's  the  matter  I 
I  told  him  so — ever  since  that  awful  dream !"  said  Mrs. 
Bailey,  addressing  her  remarks  to  nobody,  and  in  a  very 
nervous  and  abstracted  manner;  at  the  same  time,  hav- 
ing taken  the  sealed  message,  she  had  turned,  in  search 
of  somebody,  back  toward  the  sitting  room.  The  hasty 
utterance  of  the  boy  at  the  door  had,  no  doubt,  enhanced 
her  idea  of  the  importance  and  seriousness  of  a  telegraphic 
dispatch. 

There  was  something  so  peculiar  in  her  manner,  and 
in  the  expression  of  her  features,  whenever  Mrs.  Bailey 
manifested  her  fears,  or  her  astonishment,  that  it  was 
often  diflicult  for  strangers  to  avoid  a  smile.     But  on  this 


ff 


23 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


occasi(^n  tiio  incssagc-boy  simply  opened  his  eyes  and  his 
mouth  with  intense  curiosity,  till  her  entire  disappearance 
produced  in  his  mind  a  vivid  recollection  that  he  had 
only  half  finished  his  errand.  So  he  rap[)ed  again  on 
the  half  open,  door  for  the  return  of  the  peculiar  old 
lady  who  had  taken  olf  the  telegram  without  paying  for 
it,  or  even  expressing  her  intentions  to  do  so. 

On  hearing  the  knocking  repeated,  Mrs.  Bailey  immedi- 
ately reappeared,  saying,  in  a  confused  way: 

"  Why,  mercy  on  me !  have  you  got  another?" 

"  No,  ma'am,"  replied  the  boy,  in  a  state  of  increased 
wonderment,  waiting  for  the  old  lady  to  approach  him. 
At  the  same  time  it  was  not  very  certain,  from  Mrs. 
Bailey's  movements,  which  way  she  was  going;  for, 
almost  in  the  same  breath,  she  said — as  if  to  whomsoever 
it  might  concern — looking  this  way  and  that — 

"I  wonder  where  Benjamin  is!  Matilda,"  said  she  to 
some  one  who  was  not  in  sight,  "  see  if  Benjamin  is  in 
the  library — or,  it  may  be  ho  is  in  the  old  shop  fixin'  up 
some  liniment.  Deacon  Soloman  was  here  this  morning 
after  some  for  his  rheumatis.  I  don't  see  where  he  went 
to — Benjamin  seems  to  be  somewhere  always  1^^ 

Finally,  Mrs.  Bailey,  coming  to  the  door,  inquired  what 
else  the  boy  wanted. 

"  Please  ma'am,  shall  I  wait  for  a  reply  to  the  tele- 
graph ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  anything  about  it,"  replied  Mrs.  Bailey. 

*'  There  is  a  dollar  and  forty-five  cents  to  pay  for  the 
telegraph,"  said  the  boy. 

"  What!  a  dollar  and  forty-five  cents  to  pay  on  a  letter? 
Mercy  on  me !     I  wonder  where  is  Benjamin ! " 


A    STOUY    OF    N  I  AG  A  It  A. 


23 


Agiiiii  slio  disM})poare(l,  and  luul  been  gone  only  a  mo- 
niont,  wlien  both  Airs.  Jiiiiluy  and  the  incssago-boy  were 
frightened  nearly  out  of  their  senses  by  a  sudden  noise, 
oceasioned,  evidently,  by  an  ex})losion,  and  instiintly  alter 
tlie  rcj)ort,  a  seream  from  Matilda;  who,  in  searehiiig 
for  Benjamin,  had  just  reaehed  the  door  of  the  old 
laboratory — a  kind  of  liniment  shop,  in  a  small,  dila])i- 
dated  building,  at  the  end  of  the  wood  shed,  and  whieh, 
in  its  better  days,  before  Mrs.  Bailey  became  a  widow, 
had  been  used  for  the  office  of  hv'a-  husband,  Dr.  Bail  y. 
The  instant  after  the  explosion,  Matilda  opened  the 
door,  when  she  beheld  the  object  of  her  search  standing 
with  his  hands  to  his  eyes,  exclaiming: 

"  Thun-i)er-a-tion  1 " 

The  room  was  nearly  filled  with  smoke.  Matilda 
feared  fire — smelt  gunpowder — and  seizing  a  pail  par- 
tially fdled  with  water,  which  was  standing  near  her,  the 
next  instant  its  contents  were  dashed  against  the  bewil- 
dered Bailey  and  some  chemicals  his  ingenuity  had  led 
him  to  experiment  with. 

"Hold  on  there!"  said  he  to  Matilda,  "it  is  only  that 
thundering  anvil  that  has  waked  up  here  all  at  once  for  a 
little  extra  powder  that  got  near  it — and,"  he  continued, 
still  rubbing  his  eyes,  "  a  little  witch-fire  that  I  've  blun- 
dered into  somehow  with,  an  infernal  mixture ! " 

"  But  your  eyes,  Ben ! — are  they  injured  much  ?  " 

"0  no ;  they  will  be  all  right  in  a  few  minutes — the 
flash  came  a  little  too  near  them ;  but  it  seems  to  me  you 
are  as  careless  of  water  as  if  the  house  were  on  fire? " 

Matilda,  sccinix  that  no  harm  was  done,  went  back  to 


24 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


tlic  sitting  room  to  report  to  her  mother,  wliom  she  found 
ahnost  speechless  from  akirm. 

Tlie  messiige-l)oy,  too,  from  friglit,  had  run  away  from 
the  liouse,  nearly  down  to  the  front  gate,  where  he  had 
stopped,  turned  around,  and  stood  gazing  at  the  house, 
every  instant  expecting  the  mystery  to  develoj)  itself! 

When  Benjamin  reached  the  sitting  room  he  found  his 
mother  recovered  from  her  fright  enough  to  exclaim : 

"  Mercy  on  me  !     Where  was  Benjamin  ?  " 

"Why,  mother,  it  was  nothing  but  the  old  anvil," 
explained  Benjamin,  "loaded  the  same  as  it  was  on  the 
Fourth!  You  know  we  used  to  call  it  the  old  black- 
smith's cannon,  mother ! " 

"  Mercy  on  me !  and  here  'tis  the  middle  of  July ! " 

"  Yes,  mother,"  interrupted  Matilda,  "  how  could  we 
think  Ben  was  celebrating  the  Fourth  again,  so  quick  ! " 

"  Mercy  on  me !  how  came  you  so  wet,  Benjamin  ? 
Just  look  at  your  coat ! " 

Matilda  was  now  quite  unsuccessful  in  attempting  to 
subdue  a  hearty  laugh,  while  she  humorously  suggested 
to  her  brother : 

"  How  lucky  it  was  there  was  no  more  water  in  that 
pail!" 

"Why,  what  do  you  mean?"  said  Mrs.  Bailey,  omit- 
ting her  usual  utterance.  "  How  was  it — what  is  it  ?  I 
can't  see  how  the  old  anvil  should  throw  water  like  a 
steamboat  explosion  1 " 

"  Why,  mother,  Matilda  means  that  she  performed  a 
very  expert  performance  without  the  slightest  rehearsal, 
by  tipping  over  a  pail  of  water;   and   that  I  am  the 


I 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGAR^V. 


25 


humble  recipient  of  the  couteuts  of  said  pail — be  tlio 
same  more  or  less." 

"  You  see,  mother,"  added  Matilda,  "  I  was  trying  to 
put  out  the  cx})losion  ! " 

"  Trying  to  put  out  the  explosion !  Merey  on  me ! 
AVhat  do  you  moan?  I  do  believe  you  are  always  going 
to  be  children  it  you  live  a  hundred  years ! " 

Benjamin  then  explained  liow  tlie  cx])losion  occurred; 
which  was  substantially  as  follows:  By  one  of  those 
unaccountable  blunders,  wliicli  even  the  most  cai-oful 
l)eople  sometimes  make,  the  old  anvil,  whicli  had  been 
used  on  the  Fourtli  as  a  substitute  for  a  cannon,  was  left 
loaded,  and  bad  been  set  on  the  floor  near  an  old  marble 
table  in  the  room  where  Benjamin  kept  a  few  drugs  and 
chemicals,  where  he  occasionally  mixed  up  a  liniment  or 
other  preparation.  Mrs.  Bailey  was  troubled  witli  "corns 
on  lier  feet,"  and  Benjamin  bad  lately  lieard  an  old  corn 
doctor,  or  chiropodist,  tell  of  a  mixture  that  was  a  "  sure 
cure."  As  near  as  he  c;:ald  remember  the  recipe,  he  had 
obtained  the  ingredients  and  was  mixing  them  on  the  ohl 
marble  tablet. 

"Let  me  see,"  said  he  to  himself,  "I  think  {\\Qy  were 
ctjual  parts  of  potash,  lime,  and  sulphur — and,  it  scenis 
to  me,  gunpowder." 

So  lie  took  down  from  a  slielf,  a  flask  of  powder,  and 
turned  out  a  little  upon  the  tablet.  As  be  put  up  the 
llask  the  thought  occun'cd  to  him  that  he  had  got  the 
idea  of  })0wder  from  another  recipe,  for  a  diiVerent  pur- 
pose. Brushing  the  powder  aside,  he  then  mixed  about 
a  thimbleful,  each,  of  potash,  suli)hur,  and  quick-lime; 
2 


26 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


1  I 


€ 


when,  to  liis  utter  astonislimcnt,  tliis  mixture  produced 
fire,  resembling  a  live  coal  of  lire  maslied  into  line  frag- 
ments. He  had  barely  noticed  the  mystery  when  the 
explosion  took  place. 

"It  must  be,"  said  Bailey,  manifesting  a  kind  of  scien- 
tific curiasity,  "that  the  dampness  of  the  potash  made 
the  lime  become  so  hot  as  to  set  fire  to  the  sulphur,  and 
.(,  spark  of  it  somehow  got  to  the  powder  which  I  had 
brushed  aside,  and  througli  that  communicated  to  the 
load  in  the  anvil !  At  any  rate,"  continued  Bailey,  "  I 
can  swear,  or  affirm,  to  the  way  I  created  that  fire  on  that 
marble;  and  as  for  the  old  anvil — why,  that — very  evi- 
dently and  very  positively — has  spoken  for  itself!" 

Matilda  smiled,  and  so  did  Benjamin ;  but  Mrs.  Bailey 
did  not  smile — she  only  noticed  the  danger;  and  when 
her  son  closed  his  ex])lanati()n,  she  repeated  her  usual 
exclamation,  "  ^lerey  on  me ! "     And  then  she  added : 

"How  venturesome! — and  after  all  I  have  told  you! 
It  seems  as  if  some  folks  just  courted  danger.  You 
would  have  been  killed  a  dozen  times,  Benjamin,  before 
this,  if  you  had  had  your  own  way  about  it!  Mercy — 
only  think  of  it !  You  would  have  gone  to  the  war  if  it 
had  not  been  for  the  doctor  who  examined  you,  and  if  I 
had  not  given  one  of  his  friends  fifty  dollars,  so  he  would 
tell  the  truth  and  say  you  wore  not  strong  enough  to 
endure  being  a  soldier !  You  didn't  tliank  me  for  it  at 
the  time,  Benjamin;  but  when  half  the  boys  in  the 
noigliborliood  never  come  home  again,  and  tlie  rest  of 
tliem  coine  home  cripples  IVu'  life!  you'll  thank  your 
poor  old  mother  for  looking  ahead  a  little,  tiien !     Iiii  as 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


27 


produced 

line  frag- 

vlien  the 

of  scicn-             I 

isli  made              ? 

jhur,  and 

ch  I  had             ^ 

;d  to  the            1 

»ailcy,  "I            1 
[•e  on  that            t 

-very  evi-            i 

fl"                     1 

rs.  Bailey          m 
\nd  when            $ 

ler  usual            i 

idded :                 x 

;old  you ! 

cr.     You            % 

in,  before            ' 

Mercy' —            j 
war  if  it            1 

,  and  if  I            | 

he  would            1 

nongh  to          '  1 

for  it  at            1 

's   in   the            ; 

ic  rest  of           f 

iidv  your            \ 

!     I'm  us           % 

patriotic  as  anybody,  but  I  don't  believe  in  wars;  and  I 
shall  always  be  glad  that  McLiner  took  the  money  which 
made  the  doctor  tell  the  honest  truth!  for  I  know  you 
never  could  have  stood  it." 

"Ben,"  said  Matilda,  "it  seems  to  me  these  are  awful 
times,  when  you  have  to  pay  some  men  so  much  to  keep 
them  honest,  wdiile  poor  private  soldiers  get  so  little  for 
being  killed.  Of  course  you  can  say  it  is  glorious  to  die 
for  one's  country ;  but  the  Northern  States  would  be  large 
enough  for  my  country,  without  having  my  head  blown 
off,  or  whining  as  Alexander  did,  for  the  privilege  of  con- 
trolling more.  And  the  newspapers  say  Horace  Greeley 
thought  so  himself  at  first" 

"Perhaps  he  did,"  said  Benjamin,  "for  it  was  terrible 
to  think  of  war.  But,  at  last,  he  and  almost  everybody, 
saw  that  the  principles  of  men  who  believe  in  slavery  are 
dangerous,  and  that  two  such  opposites  as  slavery  and 
freedom  would  not  and  could  not  live  together  in  peace, 
and  freedom  must  conquer  while  it  could.  Mr.  Seward, 
years  before  this  war,  said  no  more  than  a  simple  truth  in 
reference  to  such  antagonistic  principles  and  interests, 
when  he  foretold  the  people  that  such  a  conflict  was  'irre- 
pressible ; '  and,  Matilda,  do  you  not  see  that  freedom  and 
slavery  are  natural  enemies?  " 

Just  at  this  moment  a  loud  knock  was  again  heard  at 
the  front  door. 

Benjamin,  having  already  changed  his  coat  for  a  dry 
one,  ]irocGedcd  to  attend  the  call, 

"Mercy  on  me,"  said  Mrs.  Baile^'',  "there  is  tliat  telo 
graph  boy  again!  Here,  Benjainin!  There,  Matilda! 
what  have  1  Aow^  with  that  telcgniph  h.'ttei'?" 


28 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


"Why,  what  is  tliatin  your  hand?  "  asked  Matilda. 

"Yes,  tlicre  it  is  now  !  Well,  I'm  getting  so  nervous 
and  so  forgetful." 

Benjamin,  having  direeted  the  message-boy  to  wait  a 
moment,  returned  to  the  sitting-room,  when  Mrs.  Bailey 
handed  him  the  message,  saying : 

"  Mercy  on  me !  Benjamin,  here  is  a  telegraph  letter ! 
I  wonder  what  has  happened  for  a  telegra2)h  to  be  sent 
here  to  us  ! " 

Benjamin  took  the  message,  opened  it  and  read  aloud 
as  follows: 

"  Wasiiingtox,  D.  C,  Jul//  16,  1864. 
"  To  Benjamin  Bailey,  Esq., 

"  Near  Fallington,  N.  Y. 
"  The  appointment  is  made.     Particulars  l;y  mail. 

"  Lyman  Baldwin." 

"  What  appointment  does  that  mean  ?  "  inquired  widow 
Bailey,  who,  no  doubt,  a})prchended  some  a])pointmcnt  in 
the  army. 

"  Wait  a  moment,  mother,"  said  her  son,  "  till  I  settle 
with  the  boy  at  the  door." 

"Yes,"  joined  in  Matilda,  "for  goodness'  sakes  !  Tliis 
is  the  third  time  that  })Oor  bo}?-  has  rapped  on  that  door! 
and  say,  Ben,  not  only  j)av/  him,  but  convince  him  there 
has  been  no  earthquake,  or  any  other  accident  worth  his 
while  to  alarm  the  villagers  witli !  " 

At  last,  the  boy  who  had  brought  the  telegram  was 
settled  with,  liis  wonderment  put  in  a  state  of  moderation, 
I'.iid  he  departed.     Benjamin  returned  again  to  the  sitting- 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


29 


itilda. 
nervous 

3  wait  a 
?.  Bailey 

li  letter! 
be  scut 

id  aloud 
1864. 


ail. 
wix." 

I  widow 
:ment  in 

I  settle 

!     This 

it  door ! 

n  there 

)rtli  liis 

im  was 
oration, 
sittiiii^;- 


*? 
^ 


room,  where  the  inquiry  was  repeated,  as  to  what  appoint- 
ment the  dispateh  referred  to. 

"  It  is  no  appointment  in  the  army,"  he  replied.  "  It  is 
a  secret  ollijc  to  aid  in  catching  smugglers,  which  our 
friend  Mr.  Baldwin  urged  me  to  take,  though  I  told  him 
I  should  know  as  little  of  my  duty  at  first,  as  half  the 
In-igadicr  generals  do  of  theirs  1 " 

"  Where  will  you  have  to  go  ?  "  asked  Matilda. 

"  Smugglers ! "  said  Mrs.  Bailey  at  the  same  time. 
"  Mercy  on  me,  where  ?  " 

"  I  shall  have  to  go  to  Niagara  Falls,  and  all  along  the 
Niagai-a  river,  from  Lake  Eric  to  Lake  Ontario,  and  wher- 
ever else  I  should  see  a  prospect  of  detecting  smugglers  on 
that  frontier.  It  is  a  secret  office,  and  you  must  be  cau- 
tious even  here,  only  to  say  I  went  west  on  business.  You 
can  avoid  giving  any  direct  answer  as  to  the  hindoi  business. 

"But,  suppose,"  suggested  Mrs.  Bailey,  "that  they  ask 
us  to  tell  what  kind  of  business?" 

"  Then,  tell  them  I  said  it  was  private  business." 

"  That,"  replied  Matilda,  "  would  make  them  quiz  all 
the  harder!" 

"No  matter — keep  giving  the  same  answer — private, 
private  business !  That  reply  is  short  and  true ;  and, 
mother,  it  is  easy  for  you  to  remember — private  busi- 
ness— private." 

"  Why,  mercy !  how  it  would  look  to  keep  giving  the 
same  answer,  perhaps  a  half  dozen  times  to  the  same 
person.     Wouldn't  they  get  oifendcd?" 

"  No — such  folks  would  not — at  least  they  should  not," 
said  Benjamin. 


80 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


"  That's  a  queer  kind  of  office,  thougli,"  said  Maltilda. 
"For  goodness  sakcs!  you  wouki  liave  to  go  riglit  among 
the  smugglers  tliemselves.  And  from  wLat  little  I  have 
read  about  them,  I  should  think  some  of  them  were  just 
as  desperate  as  robbers  I  They  cross  rivers  in  little  boats, 
in  stormy  nights,  and  they  try  to  shoot  everybody  that 
attempts  to  catch  them  1 " 

To  this  Benjamin  was  about  to  reply,  when  his  mother, 
who  had  raised  both  her  hands  in  astonishment,  exclaimed : 

"  Mercy !  mercy  on  me ! " 

And  widow  Bailey  turned  her  face  away  as  from  some 
foreseen  danger,  her  complexion  as  white  as  the  neat  lace 
fringe  of  the  cap  which  bordered  her  face. 

"I  wouldn't  think,"  continued  Matilda,  "there  was  any 
honor  in  such  an  office  as  that!" 

"My  son,"  added  Mrs.  Bailey,  "have  you  got  to  be 
such  a  politician  as  that  ?  after  being  brought  up  to  go  to 
Sunday  school  and  to  meeting,  and  always  to  choose  good 
company  or  none  at  all?  Only  think  of  it,  Benjamin! 
being  among  robbers  as  Matilda  says — and  being  out 
nights  in  little  boats — and  getting  drowned,  perhaps ! " 

"Mother,  I  think  Matilda  has  given  you  too  bad  a 
picture.  The  office  is  one  which  Judge  Bailey  would  be 
glad  to  secure  for  his  son  David.  And  Mr.  Baldwin  him- 
self told  me  it  is  a  good  office ;  that  I  would  be  my  own 
master,  mostly ;  and  he  thought  it  would  be  a  very  pleas- 
ant way  of  making  acquaintance  with  the  peojile  and  the 
country  in  Canada  and  on  the  frontier.  The  pay,  too,  is 
four  dollars  per  day,  and  my  expenses  paid  by  tho  gov- 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA, 


81 


ilaltilda. 
t  among 
Q  I  liave 
^erc  just 
.le  boats, 
:>dj  tliat 

mother, 
claimed : 

)m  some 
leat  lace 

was  any 

)t  to  be 
to  go  to 
)se  good 
njamin ! 
sing  out 
ips!" 
0  bad  a 
ould  be 
vin  him- 
my  own 
y  pleas- 
and  the 
r,  too,  is 
tho  gov- 


crnmcnt,  and  I  would  get  one-quarter  of  the  seizures  and 
fines  which  I  would  be  the  means  of  bringing  about." 

"  Among  robbers  and  such  folks !  Mercy  on  me  1  Ben- 
jamin ! " 

"  About  all  I  would  have  to  do,  mother,  would  be  to 
detect  smugglers  privately  and  report  information  to  the 
Collector  of  Customs.     That  is  about  all ! " 

"  Goodness  sakes,  mother,  how  is  he  going  to  find  out 
about  such  folks  without  associating  with  them?  just  as 
I  ]iave  read  of  police  detectives  going  among  all  kinds 
of  rough  people !  " 

Ahl  Mr.  Benjamin  Bailey,  while  you  have  been  flat- 
tered by  tlie  bright  side,  the  quick  perceptions  of  a 
female  have  glanced  at  the  other,  where  you  will  find 
more  trouble  than  even  your  sister  anticipates  for  you. 


jl 


! 


t  \ 


1  i 


CHAPTER    II. 


DansPi-s  Anticipated— What  some  People  think  of  Smnirsling— A  Good  Rcsolutiou 
— A  Lover  Dismissed— The  Secret  Sluuder— Anotlier  Keading  of  an  Old  Letter- 
Trouble  in  Lovo  Matters — Miss  Sommers  lieturns  to  Niagara. 


To  Matilda's  last  suggestion,  tliat  Benjamin's  oflice 
"would  compel  him  to  associate  with  all  kinds  of  rough 
people,"  widow  Bailey  said  her  usual  exclamation,  and 
Benjamin  made  further  explanations.  Ue  had  been  told 
that  smuggling  was  done  by  all  classes  of  pcoi)le,  and 
with  little,  if  any,  compunctions  of  conscience,  nobody 
seeming  to  consider  it  disgraceful  to  smuggle  what  they 
wanted  for  their  own.  "use,  and  speculators  of  course 
smuggling  as  fn,  matter  of  'prindiyle^  believing  professedly 
in  the  "principles  of  free  trade." 

"  Only  yesterday,"  said  Benjamin,  "  I  had  a  talk  with 
a  man  right  from  Niagara  Falls,  and  he  says  that  a  hun- 
dred thousand  persons  visit  the  Falls  there  every  season, 
and  that  it  is  almost  a  private  fashion  among  themselves 
for  the  very  finest  ladies  to  smuggle  the  very  nicest  things 
out  of  Canada,  and  that  even  the  Judges  of  the  United 
States  Courts  generally  let  off  a  smuggler  with  a  light 
fine ;  so,  j'^ou  see,"  he  added,  "  there  is  no  reason  why 
these  novel  stories  need  make  Matilda  imagine  that  I 
must  be  among  robbers  and  such  desperate  fellows  all  the 
while." 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA, 


88 


Rcsolutiou 
)ld  Letter- 


's office 
>f  rougli 
ion,  and 
lecn  told 
pie,  and 
nobody 
lat  tlicy 
course 
(fessodly 

alk  with 
t  a  liun- 

season, 
msclves 
t  things 

United 

a  liiiht 
on  why 
that  I 

all  the 


"  All  the  while ! "  repeated  Matilda,  witli  more  of  re- 
gret tlian  rebuke  in  her  manner;  "  it  is  a  bad  place,  Ben, 
to  be  witli  such  fellows  any  of  the  time." 

"  But  lSh\  Baldwin  is  the  Special  Agent  of  the  Treas- 
ury, you  know,  and  be  told  mc  the  older  detectives  might 
do  che  rough  work,  and,  if  I  did  not  like  the  position,  he 
could  secure  mc  some  better  ofTicc  after  a  while." 

Widow  Bailey  must  have  been  somewhat  satisfied  by 
these  explanations ;  for,  dropping  tliat  part  of  her  objec- 
tions, she  told  him  that  "  it  would  be  unpleasant  to  have 
him  so  far  from  home,  in  such  strange  business,  when  he 
had  never  been  fifty  miles  from  home  in  his  life." 

"Yes,  mother,  the  business  will  seem  strange  to  me; 
but  you  know  people  give  mc  the  credit  of  being  easy  to 
learn,  and  of  having  a  little  tact  at  management — don't 
they,  mother?" 

Of  course,  Mrs.  Bailey  was  proud  to  admit  that  fact. 
But  ]\fatilda  hoped  that  Ben  would  be  hard  to  learn  of 
such  fellows  as  she  believed  some  smugglers  were. 

"  Mercy  on  me  !  Benjamin,  I  don't  sec  what  business 
3'ou  can  try  next!  Do  you  ever  think  of  the  old  saying: 
'A  rolling  stone  gathers  no  moss?'  " 

"  O,  say,  mother,  I  wish  you  would  remind  him  of  an- 
other old  saying :  '  It  takes  a  rogue  to  catch  a  rogue ! ' 
Then  how  can  he  be  successful  in  such  business  without 
becoming  a  rogue  himself,  as  well  as  being  with  tliem?" 

Matilda  said  this  in  such  an  amusing  way  that  Benja- 
min only  smiled — made  no  repl}^ 

"And  now,  brother  Ben,"  continued  ^latilda,  "if  you 
won't  think  me  too  bad — although  I  think  you  just  as 


2* 


H 


31 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


linii  as  anybody — I  must  say  tliiit  tliis  going  into  !i  bnsi- 
iicss  wliere  you  must  become  acquainted  with  cverytliing 
bad,  makes  me  think  of  the  verse  that  the  minister  quoted 
last  Sunday : 

"  '  Vice  is  a  monster  of  sucli  friRiitful  mien, 
As,  to  bo  littted,  neods  but  to  be  bcou.'  " 

"  So  far,"  interrupted  Benjamin,  "  that  is  wliat  /  think  ; 
and  tliat  is  why  I  shall  be  safe — shall  hate  vice  by  see- 
ing it!" 

And  he  laughed  with  an  evident  feeling  of  triumpli  at 
tui'ning  lier  quotation  to  his  advantage.  But  so  soon  as 
he  was  ready  to  listen,  Matilda  deliberately  added : 

"  '  Yet  seen  too  oft,  familiar  with  her  face, 
We  first  endure,  then  jAiy,  then  embrace!''  " 

"My  dear  sister,"  said  Benjamin,  taking  her  b}''  the 
hand,  "  the  kind  and  earnest  manner  in  which  you  have 
quoted  the  last  couplet,  shall  make  me  remember  the  cau- 
tion that  you  have  so  kindly  intended."  And  here, 
taking  the  hand  of  his  good  old  mother,  also,  he  con- 
tinued :  "  And  wherever  my  duty  as  a  secret  detective 
shall  call  me,  though  I  may  be  obliged  to  practice  decep- 
tion against  the  guilty,  as  must  be  sometimes  done  to  de- 
tect and  punish  crime,  or  to  defend  one's  country  and 
sustain  the  laws  which  protect  the  innocent,  I  do  most 
solemnly  pledge  to  each  of  you,  my  mother  and  my  sis- 
ter, that  you  shall  have  no  cause  in  any  act  of  mine — 
though  every  act  were  known  to  you — for  any  anxiety 
for  aught  else  than  my  personal  safety,  and  of  that  I  will 


A    STORY    f)F    NIAGARA. 


86 


ji  bnsi- 

i-ything 

quoted 


'  tliink ; 
by  sce- 

impli  at 
soon  as 


by  the 
)u  have 
the  cau- 
cl  here, 
he  con- 
etective 
i  decep- 
le  to  de- 
try  and 
lo  most 
my  sis- 
mine — 
anxiety 
at  I  will 


I 


also  take  as  good  care  as  may  be  consistent  with  duty  and 
honor." 

During  this  uuex])ccted  and  impromj)tu  reference  to  a 
})artiiig,  and  while  Benjamin  Bailey  held  in  earnest  grasp 
the  hand  of  mother  and  sister,  Mrs.  Bailey  was  overcome 
with  tears,  whilst  the  eyes  of  both  sister  and  brother  were 
glistening  with  the  same  aflectionate  tokens. 

Their  hearts  were  too  full  f(jr  utterance,  and  not  another 
word  was  spoken,  as  Benjamin  silently  turned  away,  and 
repaired  to  the  old  laboratory. 

As  he  stood  again  by  the  marble  tablet,  where  he  had 
mixed  up  such  a  singular  chemical  fire,  he  instinctively 
examined  to  sec  if  all  was  safe;  though  he  had,  before 
leaving,  carefully  put  out  every  spark  which  Matilda's 
pretty  w^ell  directed  dash  from  the  water-pail  had  not 
extinguished. 

While  Bailey  was  here  setting  things  in  order,  his 
thoughts  were  occupied  about  his  new  office.  lie  must 
detect  smugglers  without  being  detected  himself.  lie 
might  not  meet  expectations  before  he  would  be  removed 
from  the  office,  as  he  w^ould  have  to  learn  the  whole  busi- 
ness. "It  is  some  as  Matilda  says,"  thought  he.  "In 
order  to  learn  much,  I  sliall  have  to  assume  the  character 
of  a  smuggler  when  among  smugglers,  and  try  to  have 
them  post  me  up  in  their  operations.  But  if  anybody 
expects  me  to  associate  with  a  drinking,  carousing,  low 
set  of  rowdies,  thieves  or  cut-throats  very  much — consid- 
erably, constantly,  &c. — they  are  hereby  notified  that  I, 
Benjamin  Bailey,  of  Bailey's  Corners,  am  not  that  kind 


ill 


i 

1 

1 

'■  • 

1 

i              " 

i 

1            ,;|; 

Hju 

i 

1 

r 

86 


A    STOUV'    OF    NIAGARA. 


of  a  politician,  and  sliall  not  degrade  the  ofliec,  nor  the 
eountiy  Jiuiloys,  to  any  Hiich  extent!" 

"]5ut  stop;  instead  of  talking  to  this  old  anvil,  I  had 
better  go  and  arrange  my  })ai)ers  a  little."  Then,  as  he 
turned  away  from  the  marble  table,  he  said  to  himself: 
"  I  rather  guess  that  corn  niedicino  was  a  humbug — an 
all-Jlral  humbug,"  he  added,  as  he  thought  of  the  singu- 
lar combustibles. 

Bailey  was  soon  engaged  in  looking  over  some  old  let- 
ters in  his  bbrary.  Ue  came  to  one  ad(b'essed  in  a  neat 
liand,  which  he  looked  at  a  moment  with  a  sad  expression 
in  his  countenance ;  then  slowly  uniblding  the  letter,  he 
said  to  himseli":  "Yes;  Laura  Sommcrs  was  the  best  girl 
I  ever  knew." 

There  was  a  mystery  about  this  letter  which  Benjamin 
Bailey  had  never  yet  solved,  although  one  year  had  passed 
away  since  he  received  it 

The  letter  read  a'  follows  : 

"  Fallington,  N.  Y.,  July  6,  1863. 
"  Benjamin  Bailey,  Esq.  : 

'■^Dear  Sir — You  can  never  know  how  it  pains  my  feel- 
ings to  be  obliged  to  write  this  letter  to  break  oil'  our 
correspondence.  I  thought  you  so  manly,  so  good,  and 
generous;  and  I  enjoyed  so  much  your  intelligent  and 
original  thoughts. 

"But  my  parents  have  been  made  to  believe  many 
things  against  you,  and  that  you  have  very  recently 
treated  one  young  lady  in  the  most  dishonorable  and 
heartless  manner. 


A    STOUY    OF    NIAOAIIA. 


87 


-an 


"lAithcr  has  jnst  written  mc  to  discontinue  our  corrcs- 
pondeueo.  1  will,  however,  take  tlie  liberty  to  say,  tliat 
this  uii]»leasant  termination  has  made  me  very  unhappy. 
I  shall  not,  therefore,  make  my  visit  liere,  at  Judge 
IJailey'a,  so  long  as  I  intended;  but,  having  linislied  my 
visits  at  other  places  here,  I  will  go  homo  to  Niagara 
Falls,  in  a  day  or  two. 

"O,  how  I  wish  I  might  hiow  if  all  I  have  been  told, 
and  all  that  has  been  written  to  my  father,  is  true !  and 
yet  they  i)retend  it  is  told  as  a  Christian  duty.  But  I 
thirdc  c[ueer,  that  I  must  be  pledged  not  to  tell  wdiat  it  is, 
nor  who  told  me.  Benjamin,  I  cannot  believe  what  they 
say  of  you,  and  yet  I  don't  see  how  I  can  doubt  their 
word.  When  1  go  home,  I  shall  ask  father  to  give  you 
an  op})()rtunity  to  prove  it  is  not  true,  or  to  show,  at  least, 
what  motive  they  may  have  to  s})eak  ill  and  falsely  of 
you.  Perha])S  you  have  told  some  truth  against  them, 
and  they  are  telling  falsehoods  secretly  against  you,  to 
injure  you,  so  that  what  you  say  may  not  be  believed  I 
J  know  a  family  of  Vromans  who  always  take  that  course 
to  injure  innocent  ones  whom  they  fear  may  tell  some 
truth  ac'ainst  them  ! 

"  Jiut,  Benjamin,  I  cannot  disobey  my  parents,  and 
hence  our  correspondence  must  cease  until  they  are  satis- 
fied to  have  it  renewed;  yet,  I  am  willing  to  wait  years 
to  sec  if  time  will  explain  for  you,  or  defend  you.  And 
I  remain  your  friend, 

"  LaUKA   SoilMEKS." 


As  Benjamin  Bailey  looked  upon  this  letter,  which,  at 


r,»' 


I 


ill 


I 


88 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA, 


times  during  the  past  year,  luid  given  him  so  mnch 
unliapijiiioss,  lie  fell  into  a  thouglitful  and  melancholy 
mood ;  and,  seating  himself  in  a  ehair  by  the  side  of  his 
open  secretary,  he  again  read  Laura's  last  letter. 

But,  ere  he  had  finished  reading  it,  he  had  ])ansed 
several  times,  as  if  in  deep  study  with  his  own  thoughts. 
It  was  plain  to  him  that  Miss  Sommers  had  ])een  made  to 
believe  the  most  cruel  falsehoods  against  him;  but  how 
the  same  unprincipled  inventors  of  slander  could  so  far 
influence  Deacon  Sommers,  that  he  would  decline  to  con- 
sider any  defense  from  him,  (which  he  had  ollered,)  oi',  so 
far  as  he  knew,  to  investigate  in  an}^  w^ay,  was  a  mystery 
he  could  not  account  for. 

The  insinuation  that  he  had  treated  some  one  in  a  dis- 
honorable and  heai'tless  mannei",  had  not  the  slightest 
foundation  in  fact!  Where  could  such  base  falsehood 
originate  ?  thought  he ;  and  what  could  be  the  motive  to 
tempt  any  one  thus  to  deceive  Miss  Sommers  and  her 
parents?  It  must  be,  of  course,  some  one  who  has  their 
confidence.  It  must  be  a  consummate  liy})ocrite.  too, 
whose  depravity  could  secretly  contrive  such  falsehoods, 
and  still  retain  a  respectable  hearing  from  Laura  and  her 
parents.  It  was  evident,  too,  to  Benjamin,  from  Laura's 
letter,  that  the  guilty  parties  had  disregarded  her  ha})pi- 
ness  as  w^U  as  his  own ;  and,  could  they  be  detected, 
would  be  despised  by  Mr.  Sommers.  But  they  had  beeii 
only  too  successful  in  their  hypocrisy. 

^[any  had  been  the  queries  which  Benjamin  Bailey  had 
revolved  in  his  mind  since  receiving  that  letter.  Some- 
times he  had  wondered  if  the  secret  slander  which  cut  oif 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


89 


■^o  miicli 
liinclioly 
:le  of  his 

I  })auscd 
tliouglits. 
L  made  to 
but  how 
Id  so  far 
ic  to  con- 
xl,)  or,  so 
,  m}\stciy 


communication  between  liimself  and  the  Sommers  family 
had  turned  any  advantage  to  its  wicked  authors. 

As  Benjamin  foUUxl  up  Laura's  letter  and  proceeded 
to  arrange  his  papers  in  the  secretary,  he  had  some  vague 
impression  that  chance  miglit,  somehow,  bring  him  to  an 
acquaintance  with  Mr.  Sommers  under  favorable  circum- 
stances, shouhl  he  remain  long  at  Niagara;  but  as  matters 
now  stood,  he  felt  that  he  could  not  compromise  his  dig- 
nity by  further  directly  seeking  to  communicate  with  Mr. 
Sommers. 


!  in  a  dis- 

slightest 

falsehood 

motive  to 

and  her 

has  their 

?rite.  too, 

dsehoods, 

a  and  her 

n  Laura's 

ler  hnppi- 

detccted, 

had  bcem 


bailey  had 
r.  Some- 
ch  cut  oiF 


'""    ""  "I* 


i 


i\ 


II II 


i! 

t    j 
•■ml 


CHAPTER  III. 


The  Country  Baileys— And  the  Village  Baileys— The  Country  Cousin  becomes  a 
Politician — The  Mistake— Social  luconsisteucy. 


At  tlie  time  of  his  appointment  to  this  office  of  secret 
detective,  Benjamin  Bailey  had  reached  the  age  of  twenty- 
four  years;  and  the  ahnanacs  of  tliat  year,  which  were 
given  away  as  vehicles  for  the  circulation  of  various 
advertisements,  declared  it  to  be  the  year  of  our  Lord 
one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  sixty-four,  or,  according 
to  a  more  ancient  order  of  reckoning,  as  handed  down  by 
King  Solomon,  and  others  further  back,  it  was  denomin- 
ated the  year  of  the  world  five  thousand  eight  hundred 
and  sixty-four. 

At  this  time  if  any  one  had  inquired  of  the  farmers  in 
the  neighborhood,  as  to  what  business  Benjamin  Bailey 
followed,  they  would,  probably,  have  said,  if  they  under- 
took to  decide  so  puzzling  a  question  at  all,  that  he  was 
about  as  much  farmer  as  anything  else;  though  they 
would  have  come  to  this  conclusion,  principally,  because 
the  farm  he  had  fallen  heir  to,  by  the  death  of  his  father, 
had  a  more  visible  and  a  more  permanent  existence  than 
anything  else  he  had  amused  himself  with. 

There  was  hardly  any  kind  of  business  requiring  tact 
and  head-work,  which  had  fallen  under  Benjamin  Bailey's 
observation,  that  he  had  not  thought  over,  and  almost 


i 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


41 


Ijecomes  a 


)f  secret 
twenty- 
ch  were 
"Yarious 
ir  Lord 
3Cording 
lown  by 
enomin- 
lundred 

•mers  in 
Bailey 
under- 
lie was 

;li  they 

because 
father, 

ice  than 


inoi;  tact 
Bailey's 
almost 


^M 


dreamed  over,  at  one  time  or  other,  to  make  up  his  mind 
wliat  he  had  better  do — what  business  he  had  l)cUer 
follow. 

The  farm,  which  had  boon  left  by  his  father,  who  died 
when  Benjamin  was  only  three  years  of  age,  produced  an 
income  sufficiently  large  to  support  the  heirs  in  a  phain 
way  of  living.  This,  though  convenient  in  some  respects, 
may  have  been  in  other  respects,  a  misfortune.  For, 
before  he  had  acquired  experience  in  any  jDarticular 
branch  of  business,  so  as  to  excel  in  it,  as  he  evidently 
had  tlie  natural  abilities  to  do,  he  felt  that  he  could  afford 
to  change  to  something  else,  which  he  fancied  he  would 
like  to  try.  What  he  was  losing  in  this  way,  he  did  not 
realize  till  gradually  the  time  and  bcf^'  opportunity  for 
learning  some  profession,  or  acquiring  a  ^  ractical  knowl- 
edge of  the  details  of  some  business,  had  passed  away. 

If  Ben  Bulley  had  been  a  little  more  pinched  for 
means,  so  that  he  could  not  have  afforded  to  make  so 
many  beginnings,  but  had  felt  compelled  to  drive  through 
in  some  one  direction,  or,  if  in  his  earlier  youth  his  friends 
had  been  thoughtful  enough  to  have  urged  him  to  make 
choice  of  something  which  he  felt  was  best  adapted  to  his 
capacities,  and  he  had  given  that  his  steady  attention,  his 
natural  abilities  might  have  placed  him  in  a  position 
where,  at  a  later  period,  the  secret  work  of  unprincipled 
enemies  could  not  have  been  successful  in  deceiving  the 
parents  of  Laura  Sommers. 

When  Benjamin  was  sixteen  years  old  he  left  the  dis- 
trict school  of  his  neighborhood  and  went  to  the  villa'^e 
academy  two  terms,  where  he  wns  awarded  at  the  close 


w 


42 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


of  the  last  term,  tlic  liiglicst  prize  in  liis  classes  for  pro- 
ficiency in  mathematics  and  composition. 

For  several  years  afterwards  he  divided  his  time  between 
various  mechanical  employments  and  farming,  occupying 
most  of  his  evenings,  however,  in  his  library.  When  he 
worked  at  any  mechanical  art  he  seemed  to  do  so  more 
to  practice  skill  in  handiwork,  as  did  Louis  XIV.  at  tlie 
smith's  forge,  or  to  acquire  knowledge  as  did  Peter  the 
Great  at  ship-building,  than  with  a  pui*pose  to  follow  any 
trade  as  a  business.  Even  the  old  laboratory,  once  used 
by  Benjamin's  father,  had  been  of  late  the  scene  of  some 
queer  chemical  experiments ;  one  of  which  was  noticed 
in  our  first  chapter,  and  several  of  which,  I  have  no 
doubt,  would  have  been  interesting  even  to  the  wise  pro- 
fessor of  Fallington  Academy. 

In  the  winter  season,  at  Bailey's  Cornei's,  as  well  as  in 
the  village  of  Fallington,  lyceums  had  been  sustained  for 
years  back,  and  at  both  of  which  places  Benjamin  was 
at  one  time  acknowledged  to  be  the  most  pleasing  and 
accomplished  speaker. 

In  this  way  time  and  Benjamin  went  on  till  the  fall  of 
1863,  or  just  after  his  short  love  experience  with  Miss 
Laura  Sommers.  Feeling  at  this  time  keenly  the  unpleas- 
ant termination  of  his  correspondence  with  Miss  Sommers, 
he  determined  upon  a  course  which  he  hoped  would  give 
himself  a  more  positive  influence  in  the  communitj^ 
He  must  be  better  known  in  society,  so  that  slander 
would  not  so  easily  injure  him.  He  thought  he  had  been 
active,  public  spirited,  and  liberal ;  and  so  he  had  been. 
But  he  began  to  see  that  he  needed  influential  friends  to 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


43 


I 


fixvor  him,  Wliat  new  course  could  lie  take  to  gain 
these  ? 

At  last  he  thought  that  the  secret  had  come  to  him. 
lie  must  seek  every  opportunity,  politically  and  other- 
wise, to  favor  persons  of  influence  who  could  and  would 
do  liim  favors  in  return.  He  could  suggest  their  names 
for  nominations  to  places  of  profit  or  power.  In  this 
and  other  wa}'s  he  thought  that  he  might  gain  a  position 
which  would  aid  him  to  obtain  a  successful  hearing  from 
Laura's  father.     Indeed,  what  do  not  lovers  think  of? 

Impelled  by  a  sense  of  justice,  Benjamin  Bailey  had 
believed  in  anti-slavery  principles  ever  since  he  had  lirst 
been  told  the  meaning  of  the  word  slave!  And  when 
the  war  to  perpetuate  slavery  was  begun  by  the  slave- 
holders in  1861,  he  was  the  first  in  the  town  of  Fallington 
who  oflered  to  enlist  as  a  soldier;  and  had  he  been 
accepted  by  the  examining  surgeon,  he  would  probably 
never  have  been  in  the  secret  service  on  the  Niagara 
frontier. 

When,  therefore.  President  Lincoln  made  the  call  for 
three  hundred  thousand  more  volunteers,  in  October,  1863, 
war  meetings  were  held  all  over  the  Northern  States  to 
encourage  enlistments ;  some  of  these  meetings  were  held 
at  Bailey's  Corners,  and  there  Benjamin  Bailey,  the  re- 
jected volunteer,  made  the  first  speech,  which  brought 
him  into  political  notice. 

Before  the  fall  elections  were  over,  Ben  Bailey  had  be- 
come a  favorite  political  sjoeaker  at  Bailey's  Corners,  and 
by  invitation  had  spoken  at  several  meetings  of  his  party 
elsewhere  in  his  county,  where  he  always  modestly  claimed 


fTT^. 


■      I 


44 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


to  speak  only  as  a  farmer.  His  success  began  to  turn  tlie 
notice  of  tlic  villagers,  socially  as  well  as  politically,  in 
his  fiivor.  Mr.  Benjamin  Bailey  and  his  sister  Matilda 
began  to  be  invited  into  village  society.  And  occasion- 
ally some  far-seeing,  prominent  politicians  of  Ben's  poli- 
tics, ventured  to  be  so  democratic  as  to  invite  Ben's 
brother,  and  even  his  mother,  nervous  as  she  was,  to 
"  come  and  spend  an  evening  with  them." 

But  until  within  the  last  year  the  country  Baileys, 
though  members  of  one  of  the  largest  churches  in  the 
village  of  Fallington,  had  never  received  an  invitation  to 
any  of  the  evening  parties,  or  even  to  visit  among  the 
"  leading  families  "  of  the  village. 

Jared  Bailey — or  Judge  Bailey,  as  he  had  been  called 
for  a  number  of  years — was  supposed  to  be  an  uncle  of 
Benjamin  Bailey — or  rather  a  half-brother  of  Benjamin's 
father.  It  was  said,  and  I  have  never  learned  the  con- 
trary, that  the  title,  "Judge,"  came  to  Jared  Bailey 
through  the  persistence  of  a  wag,  who,  in  derision  of  Mr. 
Bailey's  private  character,  frequently  called  him  ^^ Judge  " 
for  mock  dignity,  instead  of  "Jed,"  a  nick-name  for 
Jared.  For  many  years  Jared  Bailey  had  resided  in  the 
village  of  Fallington.  He  was  wealthy,  and  he  wielded 
considerable  influence  over  a  certain  clnss  of  politicians, 
whose  smaller  influence  he  was  able  to  buy  up  at  a  cheap 
rate.  His  family  had  styled  Benjamin  dieir  "  odd  coun- 
try cousin,"  and  had  slighted  him  and  his  sister  Matilda, 
as  persons  too  plain  to  be  invited  into  their  society. 
And  yet,  this  same  Matilda  was  the  best  scholar  of  the 
village  academy.     Then,  too,  of  course  it  would  not  be 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


45 


turn  the 
cally,  in 

Matilda 
)ccasion- 
n's  poli- 
ce  Ben's 

was,  to 

Baileys, 
s  in  the 
tation  to 
long  the 

n  called 
uncle  of 
njamin's 
the  con- 
Bailey 
1  of  Mr. 
•'Judge  " 
ime   for 
d  in  the 
wielded 
iticians, 
a  cheap 
d  coun- 
Matilda, 
society, 
r  of  the 
not  be 


consistent  to  invite  Matilda  and  not  Benjamin  ;  and  as  for 
the  older  brother,  "  Why !  he  had  married  a  woman 
who,"  they  said,  "  would  be  sure  to  mortify  the  whole 
family  by  wearing  something  ridiculous,  that  had  been 
out  of  ftishion  three  months!" 

In  short,  widow  Bailey's  family,  though  highly  respected 
for  their  integrity  and  intelligence,  had  been  so  treated 
by  Judge  Bailey  and  his  family,  or  at  times  so  signifi- 
cantly let  alone,  that  the  other  wealthy  portion  of  the 
villagers  did  as  the  village  Baileys  did — treated  them  at 
church,  or  at  any  place  of  accidental  or  perhaj^ts  unavoid- 
able meeting,  with  outward.  Christian  civility;  but  to  no- 
tice them  on  grand  occasions,  or  as  if  a  meeting  were 
sought,  or  to  invite  them  where  equality  might  be  infer- 
red— why,  that  was  another  matter !  a  duty  among  many 
Christian  relatives  not  expected  to  be  performed. 

But  Mr.  Benjamin  Bailey  becomes  a  politician  among 
farmers,  has  a  political  influence,  makes  political  s])ceches 
in  favor  of  this  candidate  and  against  that  one !  This 
has  given  Ben  Bailey  influence — this  has  introduced  Ben 
Bailey  and  the  rest  of  the  country  Baileys  into  a  brotherly 
fellowship,  even  among  the  aristocratic  members  of  tlieir 
own  churchy  as  well  as  other  villagers  of  Fallington. 

It  is  true  the  villagers  still  notice  Ben  Bailey's  oddity ; 
but,  apparently  unmindful  of  any  change  in  their  pro- 
gramme, they  unite  in  flattering  opinions  7ioiv,  of  his 
"  originality  of  thought ! " 

The  village  cousins,  and  the  old  Judge  in  particular, 
sec  their  mistake,  but  fear  it  is  too  late  to  be  corrected. 
lie  wonders  now  why  he  did  not  advise  his  familv  to 


46 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


speak  well,  and  not  ill,  of  their  country  cousins.  IIo 
considers  now  liow  little  their  friendship  would  have  cost ! 
"And  who  knows  but  Benjamin  may  rise  to  influence  in 
spite  of  us?  Their  friendship  would  not  have  harmed 
us,"  ponders  the  Judge,  as  a  few  things  in  his  secret  his- 
tory come  back  to  his  memory,  and  he  fears  that  some- 
time he  may  have  friends  too  few  or  enemies  one  too 
many  I 


IM 


»'  1 


ns.     He 
ve  cost ! 

1 

lence  in 

'X 

liarmcd 

*1 

n-et  liis- 

;.^ 

it  some- 

■ M 

one  too 

■  y'\ 

CnATTER  IV. 


Dciicon  Sommcrs  of  Ni;ic;ara— Too  slight  an  acquaintance  with  Jarod  Bailey— How 
Benjamin  and  the  Doacou's  Daughter  became  Lovers. 


William  Sommers,  or  Deacon  Sommcrs,  as  lie  was 
generally  called  in  tlie  town  of  Niagara,  was  one  of  the 
wealthiest  men  on  the  frontier;  a  plain,  good,  kind- 
hearted  man ;  and,  without  making  half  the  usual  allow- 
ances for  human  frailties,  w^e  may  say  he  was  in  a  fair 
sense  of  the  term,  a  Christian.  lie  undoubtedly  had 
errors  of  the  head,  but  his  heart  w^as  generally  right. 
He  was  a  man  of  positive  character.  There  was  very 
little  of  the  half-way  or  undecided  in  his  faith  or  in  liis 
practice.  He  loved  right  so  wxll  that  he  hated  even  the 
appearance  of  wn'ong.  lie  loved  justice  and  freedom  so 
much  that  he  had  a  pious  abhorrence  of  slavery  or  0})prcs- 
sion  in  any  form.  And  yet  he  loved  his  country  so  well 
that,  like  the  noble  Lincoln,  he  would  have  saved  it  with 
all  her  faults,  rather  than  risk  her  ruin  in  attempting  to 
abolish  her  greatest  evil.  But  when  it  was  known  that 
the  evil  itself,  unless  abolished,  would  ruin  the  country 
by  the  teriiblc  war,  Deacon  Sommers  was  ready  to  sacri- 
(i(:(^  all  in  cllbrts  to  maintain  the  Kepublic,  and  was  almost 
gl:i<l  of  the  ten-ible  op])()rtunity  to  strike  down  a  national 
(•rime  which  he  had  alwa3^s  hated. 

Deacon   Sommers,  therefore,  was  a  politician,  but  he 


iMmmi 


48 


A    STOUY    OF    NIAGARA. 


"  1 


II 


was  a  politician  wiiosc  present  policy  was  consistent  with 
great  moral  principles  wliicli  lie  had  always  advocated. 
Add  to  this,  his  wealtli  })laced  hi  in  above  that  temptation 
which  comes  sometimes  successfidly  to  others;  for  no 
corru])t  politician  was  emboldened  to  approach  him  with 
bribery  for  any  need  he  had  of  money  ! 

At  times  politics  reached  so  high  a  standard  in  his 
election  district  that  Deacon  Sommcrs,  in  si)ite  of  enemies 
envious  of  his  good  fortune,  was  chosen  a  delegate  to 
conventions  for  nominating  important  ofiiccrs.  At  some 
of  these  conventions  he  had  met  with  Judge  Bailc}^,  so 
that  a  sort  of  acquaintance  had  been  kept  up  ever  since 
his  removal  to  Fallington  from  Niagara,  many  years 
before.  For  Mr.  Bailey  had  once  lived  a  short  time 
within  a  few  miles  of  Deacon  Sommers,  and  both  liad 
belonged  to  the  same  church.  During  their  summer 
visits  to  Niagara,  Judge  Bailey  and  his  wife  had  made 
calls  upon  Deacon  Sommers  and  his  family ;  and  hence 
the  latter  thought  they  were  acquainted  with  the  former — 
that  is,  with  their  outward  character — but  there  was  a  pri- 
vate character  known  to  a  few,  of  which  Deacon  Sommers 
and  his  family  knew  nothing. 

Laura  Sommers  was  the  only  duughter  of  ^Mr.  and  Mrs. 
William  Sommers.  At  the  time  she  wrote  the  letter 
breaking  off  her  correspondence  with  Benjamin  Bailey, 
she  was  in  her  nineteenth  year. 

It  seems  that  in  the  early  part  of  Ma}',  1863,  which,  it 
will  be  remembered  from  the  date,  was  one  year  prior  to 
young  Bailey's  appointment  to  go  to  Niagara — it  liad 
been  arranged  for  Laura  and  her  mother  to  make  a  visit 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


49 


tent  with 
dvocatcd. 
miptiition 
4;  for  no 
liiin  with 

I'd  in  liis 
if  enemies 
.'legato  to 
At  sonic 
Bailey,  so 
3ver  since 
my   years 
hort  time 
both  had 
•   summer 
bad  made 
md  hence 
former — 
was  a  pri- 
Sommers 

and  Mi'fi. 
the  letter 
in  Bailey, 

which,  it 
ar  prior  to 
ra — it  had 
ake  a  visit 


to  some  of  their  acquaintances  in  Fallington ;  and  Deacon 
Sommcrs  insisted  that  they  should,  while  there,  make 
Judge  Bailey's  family  a  visit  also. 

Whether  Deacon  Soinmers,  like  many  other  fathers 
having  marriageable  daughters,  was  thiidving  it  good 
])olicy  for  his  daughter  to  make  the  acquaintance  of 
wealtliy  families,  and  whether  it  occurred  to  him  tliat 
possibly  Judge  Bailey's  son  David  might  be  a  suitable 
young  man  to  reciprocate  such  acquaintance,  I  am  not 
able  positively  to  say ;  but  I  can  say  most  positively,  that 
Deacon  Sommcrs  should  have  known  more  of  David 
Bailey  before  taking  any  si^ccial  pains  to  favor  a  matter 
of  such  mon;cnt 

Of  their  visit  in  Fallington,  and  how  it  happened  that 
Benjamin  Bailey,  of  Bailey's  Corners,  and  Laura  Som- 
mcrs became  acquainted,  and  how  they  at  first  were  mu- 
tually interested  in  each  other,  and  why  it  was  that  Lau- 
ra's mother  was  also  pleased  with  Benjamin,  and  why  she 
returned  home  to  Niagara  Falls,  leaving  Laura  to  make  a 
longer  visit,  were  circumstances  which,  though  very  in- 
teresting at  the  time  to  the  parties  themselves,  were  mat- 
ters which  most  of  my  readers  no  doubt  can  imagine 
more  vividly  than  I  can  picture,  on  account  of  little  per- 
sonal experiences  of  their  own  ! 

I  will,  however,  say  that  the  primary  cause  of  it  all 
seemed  to  be  as  in  "oft  repeated  tales" — "love  at  first 
sight!"  And  then,  was  it  not  perfectly  natural  that  the 
mother  should  be  pleased  that  somebody  loved  her 
daughter? 

As  a  further  apology,  however,  for  Benjamin  Bailey's 
3 


f'l? 


1   «i 

"  .1 


h  » 


50 


A   STOllY    OF   NIAGARA. 


very  liurnan  weakness  of  "  fulling  in  love  iit  first  sight," 
we  might  siiy  that  there  was  nobody  but  what  said  (if 
they  said  anything  about  it)  that  Laura  Sominers  was  a 
beautiful  girl ;  and  that  her  face  bore  an  intelligent  and 
amiable  expression;  while  there  were  those  besides  young 
Bailey  who  thought  her  charming  and  lovely.  She  was 
cheerful  and  lively,  without  appearing  rude  ;  modest,  but 
not  bashful ;  frank  and  plain  s])okcn,  and  yet  careful  not 
to  wound  the  feelings  of  others.  But  as  to  her  disposi- 
tion or  temper  under  great  provocation,  and  whether  she 
may  not  have  sometimes  exhibited  human  failings — we 
dare  not  say  that  in  all  this  she  was  perfection.  She 
seemed,  however,  to  secure  the  good  will  of  all  who  knew 
her.  Iler  manner  and  conversation  were  easy  and  enter- 
taining, never  haughty  or  affected.  Her  stature  was  a 
little  above  the  average  height,  and  her  form  perfect. 
Her  0W71  dark  brown  hair  hung  in  natural  ringlets  to  her 
shoulders,  leaving  her  intelligently  formed  head,  free  from 
ai'tilicial  disfigurement;  while  her  animated  thoughts  gave 
expression  to  her  deep  blue  eyes,  and  furnished,  a  natural 
rose  tint  to  the  whiteness  of  her  c'omplcxion. 

It  was  at  church,  the  next  Sabbath  after  Laura  Som- 
mers'  arrival  in  Fallington,  that  Benjamin  Bailey  flrst  saw 
her.  Twice  on  that  Sabbath  day  their  eyes  met — proba- 
bly a  mere  chance  occurrence,  and  no  doubt  each  regarded 
it  as  such,  or  at  least,  like  two  well-bred  strangers,  they 
had  the  manners  to  make  it  r.7>pmr  so;  though  I  should 
iK^t  like  to  say  positively  that  it  was  as  accidental  as  it 
appeared  to  be !  for  the  next  Sabbath  a  like  occurrence 
took  place.     And  then,  too.  a  letter  which  he  wrote  to 


A   STORY    OF   NIAGARA. 


51 


rst  sight," 
it  said  (if 
Qcrs  was  a 
ligciit  and 
ides  young 
Slic  was 
lodest,  but 
careful  not 
ler  disposi- 
/lietlicr  she 
lilings — we 
itioii.     She 
who  knew 
'  and  enter- 
ture  was  a 
rm  perfect, 
glets  to  her 
d  free  from 
)ughts  gave 
id  a  natural 

jaura  Som- 
ley  first  saw 
net — proba- 
ch  regarded 
mgers,  they 
gh  I  shouhl 
dental  as  it 
occurrence 
he  wrote  to 


I 


I 


H 

4 


Miss  Laura  Sommcrs.  just  after  he  had  seen  lier  one  day 
in  Mr.  Baldwin's  store,  was  dated  within  less  tlian  two 
weeks  of  the  first  Sabbatli  referred  to.  In  the  letter  ho 
expressed  a  desire  to  make  lier  acquaintance,  and  asked 
the  i)leasure  of  an  interview  with  her  at  the  house  of  her 
friend,  Mrs.  Cummings,  where  she  and  her  mother  were 
then  visiting. 

The  interview  was  granted,  the  reply  being  made  in  a 
very  neat  and  proper  letter.  Benjamin  called  u2)on 
Laura,  introduced  himself,  Mrs.  Sommers  was  present, 
the  visit  closed,  and  the  mother  and  daughter  were  favor- 
ably impressed  with  Mr.  Benjamin  Bailey.  Other  visits 
were  made,  and  before  two  months  Benjamin  and  Laura 
were  lovers,  betrothed  on  conditions  that  her  father  would 
give  his  approval. 

And  was  it  anything  so  very  strange  that  he  loved 
her?     I  think  not! 

But  how  I  shall  apologize  for  Laura  Sommers  taking 
such  a  liking,  as  she  did  from  the  very  first,  to  Benjamin 
Bailey,  is  not  an  easy  task  to  do ;  for  it  has  always  been 
a  wonder  to  me  how  such  pretty,  little,  sensitive  creatures 
as  the  ladies  all  are,  could  ever  really  love  anything  so 
ridiculous  as  a  great  stout  man,  with  such  awkward,  large 
hands  and  feet,  and  such  a  coarse,  harsh  voice  that  always 
sounds  like  grumbling,  and  never  as  if  he  had  any  feel- 
ings that  could  make  him  cry  or  scream !  No,  I  never 
could  understand  it ;  and  even  my  own  little  wife's  ex- 
1  Sanation  doesn't  seem  reasona])le  al)0utitl  Only  think 
of  it !  Ladies,  what  taste  1  What  inconsistency  for  you 
1«>  ]>ut  tender,  lace  covered  arms  on  a  jilain,  heavy,  every- 


ill 


52 


A   STORY    OF   NIAGARA. 


day  coat  sleeve — and  perhaps  around  Ms  neck ;  and  your 
tender  faces  against  great,  huge  whiskers,  or  rough,  stub- 
bed beard  I 

All  I  can  possibly  say  in  explanation  is  that  it  must 
be  because  God,  in  his  good  providence,  has  so  ordered  it 
for  the  good  of  man  kind.  Then  as  to  Benjamin  Bailey, 
he  was  not  a  great,  hu^e  fellow,  and  he  was  a  man  of  as 
fine  feelings  and  good  sense  as  I  ever  became  acquainted 
with  on  the  frontier  or  elsewhere. 

"Was  it  strange,  then,  after  all,  that  Laura  Sommers 
should  be  interested  in  being  loved  till  she  loved  Benja- 
min in  return  ?     Perhaps  not 


and  your 
ugli,  stub- 


it  it  must 
ordered  it 
lin  Bailey, 
nan  of  as 
icquainted 

Sommers 
red  Benja- 


CEAPTER  V. 

The  Plotters— The  Courtship— Letter  from  Nlas^ara- The  Widow's  Daughter— Ben- 
jamin's Suspicions— The  Fraudulent  Will— The  Criminal  Assault— The  Mysterious 
Disappearance  of  Eleanor  Grace. 

"  The  course  qf  true  love  never  did  run  snwothy 

Shakespeare,  no  doubt,  intended  when  he  wrote  the 
above  line,  to  make  it  express  a  general  truth.  If  Mr. 
Shakespeare  was  correct  in  this,  a  large  number  of  man- 
kind, since  Adam  and  Eve  had  their  first  falling  out, 
have  had  their  little  difficulties,  as  well  as  Benjamin 
Bailey,  when  "the  course  of  love  did  not  run  smooth." 

The  correspondence  between  Benjamin  Bailey  and  Miss 
Sommers  had  begun,  no  doubt,  upon  too  short  an  acquaint- 
ance. However  worthy  they  were,  their  good  opinion  of 
each  other  was  liable  to  be  changed  by  unjust  remarks 
from  envious  persons.  Had  it  been  young  Bailey's  good 
fortune  to  have  seen  some  way  of  making  his  character 
and  circumstanses  known  to  Mr.  Sommers — and  certainly 
known — before  any  person  with  sinister  motives  could 
have  discovered  any  object  to  cut  off  his  communications 
with  the  Sommers  family,  the  shortness  of  the  acquaint- 
ance would  have  been  less  dangerous  to  his  success,  and 
perhaps  to  the  happiness  of  both.  But  the  beginning  of 
a  first  courtship,  like  all  other  first  beginnings,  is  of  course 
without  the  advantage  of  previous  experience!   and  to 


i 


:i.1i 


fl'lj    , 
Jl  ! 


!i 


I 


I 


54 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


make  the  matter  still  worse,  it  is  said  tliat  "love  is 
blind  I" 

When  Judge  Bailey  knew  that  his  country  nephew 
was  paying  some  attentions  to  Miss  Sommers,  he  set  his 
wits  to  work.  He  had  more  than  one  wicked  reason  for 
doing  so  I  He  had  thought  that  his  own  son  might  pos- 
sibly succeed  in  winning  the  affections  of  Miss  Sommers, 
whose  father  he  knew  was  wealthy.  David  Bailey  had 
already  been  told  that  he  must  not  marry  the  daughter 
of  widow  Smith.  But  there  was  another  reason  why 
Judge  Bailey  did  not  wish  to  have  Benjamin  Bailey  be- 
come too  intimate  with  people  in  the  town  of  Niagara — 
a  reason  which  he  has  not  explained  to  his  son  David. 
No;  and  he  never  will.  There  was  an  old  crime  which 
lay  at  the  foundation  of  Judge  Jared  Bailey's  property. 
That  crime  was  known  to  two  or  three  living  witnesses 
residing  in  the  vicinity  of  Niagara  Falls.  John  Vroman 
was  a  bribed  witness  of  the  crime ;  Jcrusha,  his  daughter, 
an  artful,  beautiful  and  ungovernable  maiden,  had  dis- 
covered traces  of  the  crime,  but,  under  promises  of  gain, 
and  by  kind  attention  from  Judge  Bailey  and  his  wife, 
Jcrusha  had  consented  to  conceal  what  she  knew.  And 
to  make  the  matter  still  more  secure.  Judge  Bailey  had 
won  her  affections  by  offering  her  a  home  in  his  family, 
which  she  had  accepted,  and  where  at  last  she  became 
equally  interested  in  concealing  wrong. 

The  old  crime  related  to  property  of  which  Benjamin 
Bailey  was  one  of  the  rightful  heirs.  The  crime  had 
taken  place  in  Jared  Bailey's  younger  days,  but  it  had 


\ 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


55 


"love  is 

y  ncpliew 
he  set  his 
reason  for 
might  pos- 
Sommers, 
3ailey  had 
!  daughter 
sason  why 
Bailey  be- 
Niagara — 
on  David, 
ime  which 
property. 
5  witnesses 
n  Vroman 
5  daughter, 
had  dis- 
cs of  gain, 
1  his  wife, 
ew.  And 
Bailey  had 
lis  family, 
le  became 

Benjamin 
crime  had 
but  it  had 


"1 


been  done  in  the  town  of  Niagara,  and,  in  his  guilty  fears, 
lie  preferred  that  Benjamin  should  not  go  there ! 

Thus  influenced.  Judge  Bailey  planned  a  wicked  and 
cruel  slander  against  Benjamin,  which  he  cautiously  wrote 
to  Deacon  Sommers,  and  which  Mrs.  Bailey,  urged  by 
her  husband  and  by  Jerusha,  endorsed  by  writing  another 
letter  to  Mrs.  Sommers.  Poor  woman,  no  matter  what 
Jarcd  Bailey  had  done,  Mrs.  Bailey  loved  him.  She 
fcared  he  was  in  danger,  and  she  almost  loved  Jerusha 
for  advising  wrong  upon  wrong  to  save  him. 

The  plan  succeeded  in  causing  Miss  Sommers,  through 
the  commands  of  her  father,  to  write  the  unhappy  letter 
referred  to. 

Judge  Bailey  regretted,  however,  that  his  plan  had  also 
caused  Laura's  immediate  departure  home  to  Niagara. 

"When  Benjamin  received  the  letter  he  was  nearly  be- 
wildered by  its  mysterious  contents.  But  he  did  not  rest 
without  attempting  to  find  out  the  source  of  this  trouble. 
The  same  day,  after  receiving  the  letter,  he  called  at 
Judge  Bailey's  to  see  Laura  Sommers,  and  was  told  by 
Mrs.  Judge  Bailey  that  Miss  Sommers  was  not  in.  Ho 
was  too  disheartened  and  disappointed  to  trust  himself  to 
ask  any  further  questions  concerning  her,  and  he  turned 
away,  wondering  what  course  he  had  better  take. 

When  he  reached  home  he  went  immediately  to  his 
library,  and  read  the  letter  over  and  over  again.  Finally 
he  wrote  a  short  note,  simply  asking  Laura  Sommers  if 
he  might  have  the  privilege  to  see  her,  and  offering,  so 
soon  as  he  could  find  out  what  dishonorable  thing  had 
been  told  against  him,  to  satisfy  her  and  her  friends  of 


66 


A   STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


his  innocence.     lie  went  back  to  Fallington  the   same 
afternoon,  and  put  the  letter  in  tlie  post-office. 

Toward  evening  of  the  next  day  he  went  again  to  the 
post-office,  but  found  no  letter  there  from  Laura  Som- 
mers.  He  went  again  the  second  day — no  letter;  the 
third  day,  and  the  same  unfavorable  result.  lie  then 
went  to  the  residence  of  Judge  Bailey,  where  he  knew 
Laura  had  been  visiting  a  week  or  more,  and  had  intended 
to  stay  a  week  or  two  longer. 

At  Judge  Bailey's  he  saw  no  one  but  the  servant  girl 
and  his  aunt  Ellen.  The  latter  informed  him  that  Miss 
Sommers  had  that  day  started  on  her  return  home  to 
Nia2;ara  Falls. 

"  May  I  inquire,"  said  Benjamin,  "  if  you  know  whether 
she  went  to  the  post-office  to-day  or  yesterday,  to  get  any 
letters  that  may  have  been  there  for  her  ?  " 

"Yes;  she  went  to  the  post-office  just  before  starting 
for  home,"  replied  Mrs.  Judge  Bailey. 

"Did  she  go  herself?"  inquired  Benjamin,  a  little  dis- 
concerted. 

"  Of  course  she  went  h&i'self,  if  she  went  at  all ;  and  I 
believe  she  got  a  letter,  though  I  do  not  know  who  it  was 
from ;  perhaps  it  was  from  you,  Benjamin  ?  " 

Benjamin  was  now  still  more  embarrassed;  he  had 
made  the  inquiry  without  forethought,  and  instantly 
regretted  that  he  had  done  so.  lie  knew  too  little  of 
his  aunt  Ellen  to  know  whether  she  was  disposed  to 
injure  him  by  words,  or  simply  to  let  him  alone  with  ai 
aristocratic  neglect.  He  feared,  however,  he  had  truste< 
an  inquiry  to  one  who  might  color  it  up  as  an  impertinent 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


57 


ic   same 

in  to  the 
ra  Som- 
;ter;  the 
Ee  then 
le  knew 
intended 

^int  girl 
hat  Miss 
iiome  to 

whether 
get  any 


starting 


ttle  dis- 

l ;  and  I 
o  it  was 

he  had 
nstantly 
little  of 
)Osed  to 
with  ar 
truste< 
)ertinent 


question.  True,  he  was  in  a  eonfused  and  anxious  state 
of  mind,  but  sometimes  one's  best  friends  refuse  to  be 
satisfied  with  sueh  an  apology. 

After  a  moment's  hesitation  he  replied,  evasively,  that 
he  hoped  he  had  not  conveyed  an  impression  that  Miss 
Sonmiers  was  expecting  letters  from  him  ;  and,  said  he,  "  I 
will  say,  to  do  justice  to  Miss  Sommers,  I  presume  she 
does  not — or  rather  would  not,  desire  to  receive  letters 
from  me;  hence,  will  you  be  kind  enough  not  to  con- 
strue my  inquiry  in  such  a  direction? " 

After  waiting  a  few  weeks,  and  getting  no  clue  to  the 
slander,  nor  any  further  information  from  Laura  Som- 
mers, he  wrote  to  her  father  as  follows : 

"Fallington,  N.  Y.,  Auff.  10, 1863. 
"William  Sommers,  Esq., 

"Niagara  Falls,  N.  Y. : 

'■'■Respected  Sir — May  I  beg  so  great  a  favor  as  to  ask  if 
you  will  inform  mo  in  what  respect  any  of  your  family 
have  heard  that  I  ever  treated  any  young  lady  '  dishon- 
orably,' or  in  a  'heartless  manner?'  The  assertion, 
which,  it  appears  your  family  have  heard  made  against 
me,  is  so  cruelly  false,  it  seems  to  me  I  can  satisfy  you 
that  it  has  been  told  for  some  base  purpose.  If  even 
your  informers  believe  it,  which  I  do  not  believe  they  do, 
even  then  it  seems  to  me  that  their  foundation  for  so  false 
a  report  against  me,  cannot  be  such  that  t\\Qy  ought  not 
to  allow  me  the  privilege  of  a  defense  by  reference  to 
respectable  persons — if  the  allegations  are  what  could  be 
well  known  against  me,  or  by  investigation  if  otherwise. 
3* 


i 


m 


58 


A    STOllY    OF   NIAGARA. 


liii! 


If  I  cannot  be  heard  in  mj  defense,  will  you  do  me  tlic 
favor  to  sliow  this  letter  to  your  daughter  Laura,  or  at 
least  say  to  her  that  I  believe  time  will  develop  the  truth 
sooner  or  later  to  your  family  ?  Either  with  your  inform- 
ers, or  beyond  them,  there  must  be  a  wickedness  con- 
cealed; and  I  make  this  vow,  to  live  single  and  wait 
patiently  till  time  shall  reveal  the  truth;  and  I  will 
remain, 

"Yours,  respectfully, 

"Ben J.  Bailey." 

To  this  letter  Benjamin  Bailey  received  the  following 
answer : 

"Niagara  Falls,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  18,  1863. 
"  Mr.  Benjamin  Bailey, 

"Fallington,  N.  Y. : 
^^I)ea?'  Sir — In  reply  to  your  letter  of  the  10th  inst.,  I 
can  only  say,  that  our  information  is  such  that  it  is 
beyond  our  power  to  doubt  it  We  are  also  under  a 
promise  to  a  friend  in  whom  I  have  the  utmost  confi- 
dence, to  not  speak  of  the  matter  for  reasons  which  seem 
honorably  intended  toward  your  family ;  and  in  short,  to 
avoid  associating  the  names  of  innocent  parties  with 
unpleasant  gossip.  You  will,  therefore,  let  the  matter 
drop  where  it  is ;  and  especially  not  seek  to  continue  an 
acquaintance  with  my  daughter.  I  understand  that  my 
daughter  has  already  written  to  you  that  under  the  cir- 
cumstances, all  correspondence  had  better  cease. 

"Yours,  etc., 

"Wm.  Sommers." 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


59 


mc  tlio 
a,  or  at 
e  truth 
inform- 
ss  con- 
id  wait 
I  will 


uEY. 

llowiiig 
1863. 


1  inst.,  I 
lat  it  is 
under  a 
st  confi- 
ich  seem 
short,  to 
ies  with 
B  matter 
tinue  an 
that  my 
'  the  cir- 


MERS. 


By  tliis  letter  Benjamin  Bailey  saw  that  his  slanderers 
had  been  so  expert  that  it  was  most  likely  they  were  old 
haiids  in  their  game  of  meanness. 

Although  he  could  suspect  no  one  but  Jared  Bailey's 
family  of  being  the  source  of  the  slanderous  talk  to 
injure  him  with  the  Sommers  family,  yet  he  knew  no 
reason  why  the  village  Baileys  could  have  any  motive 
that  could  induce  any  of  them  to  invent  falsehoods  to 
injure  him.  He  knew  that  David  had  for  a  long  time 
back,  been  paying  attentions  to  the  daughter  of  a  poor 
widow  in  the  village,  and  he  supposed  therefore  that  there 
could  be  no  motive  of  rivalry.  Neither  had  Laura  Som- 
mers or  her  father  any  reason  yet  to  suspect  any  such 
motive.  No,  the  plan  was  a  shrewd  one ;  David  was  to 
show  no  such  intention  till  two  things  were  accomplished ; 
first,  his  country  cousin,  as  an  obstacle,  was  to  be  removed ; 
then  he  must  get  rid  of  the  widow's  daughter  gradually, 
or  in  some  way,  so  the  matter  should  make  him  as  little 
trouble  as  ;j0ossible,  and  not  turn  publicly  to  his  discredit. 
This  was  a  matter  for  David  to  bring  about,  but  the  other 
obstacle  was  what  Judge  Bailey  himself  had  undertaken 
to  remove. 

David  had  at  first  loved  the  widow's  daughter  as  much 
as  a  selfish,  unprincipled  libertine  could  be  expected  to 
love  any  beautiful  and  virtuous,  high-minded  and  accom- 
plished young  lady.  It  was  owing  to  the  strict  propriety, 
however,  of  her  own  deportment  that  the  widow's  daugh- 
ter in  their  courtship  had  even  partly  changed  David 
Bailey's  sensual,  sordid,  selfish  love  toward  an  honorable 
love,  based  on  respect,  esteem,  friendship,  sympathy  and 


m 

t'- 


'  "*'     >A 


'  :"1' 


■i  1 


60 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


honorable  intention.  The  widow's  daughter  knew  noth- 
ing of  David  Bailey's  jirivate  character.  Whatever  had 
been  said  truthfully  against  Judge  Bailey  or  his  son, 
there  had  been  just  enough  interested  in  the  Judge's 
family  to  deny  the  truth  of  it ;  and  even  to  retaliate  by 
falsehood  for  its  having  been  spoken  I 

Investigation  into  some  late  matters  against  Judge 
Bailey  had  been  threatened,  but  was  drojiped  from  the 
delicacy  of  witnesses,  from  intimidation,  and  from  his 
private  settlements,  or  bribery ! 

When  Judge  Bailey  first  suggested  to  his  son  that  after 
two  or  three  months  he  had  better  pay  no  more  attention 
to  the  widow's  daughter,  neither  the  son  nor  his  father 
for  one  moment  considered  the  feelings  of  the  young  lady. 
The  Judge  summed  up  the  case ;  the  son  thought  he 
could  agree  to  it.  The  conclusion  was,  that  the  widow's 
daughter  was  poor,  and  that  Miss  Sommers  was  rich  I 
To  the  widow's  daughter  this  heartless  conversation  and 
conclusion  was  no  doubt,  to  be  to  her,  a  blessing  in  disguise. 

It  was  for  want  of  knowing  a  motive  for  Judge  Bailey's 
family  to  interfere,  that  Benjamin  Bailey  did  not  form  a 
more  positive  opinion  as  to  whence  came  the  slander 
against  him.  It  was  not  because  he  had  too  good  an 
opinion  of  Jared  Bailey  to  suspect  him  ;  for,  besides  many 
things  which  passed  as  mere  rumor  against  him,  there 
were  some  late  matters  whispered  of  among  the  relatives, 
not  known  to  the  public ;  and  Benjamin  knew  more  of 
some  of  these  than  the  Judge  was  aware  of.  It  was 
Benjamin's  private  opinion  that  the  old  Judge  would 
stoop  to  almost  any  wickedness  which  he  could  conceal. 


•;  ill 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


61 


r  notli- 
er  had 
is  son, 
fudge's 
iate  by 


Judge 
3m  the 
orn  his 

.at  after 
ttention 
i  father 
ig  lady. 
Aght  he 
widow's 
IS  rich  I 
ion  and 
lisguise. 
Bailey's 

form  a 

slander 
^ood  an 
BS  many 

,  there 
datives, 

uore  of 

It  was 

would 

onceal. 


:n 


As  Benjamin  read  and  re-read  Mr.  Sommcrs'  letter,  the 
thouglit  would  come  to  him  that  the  originator  of  the 
shuiiK'i'  might  be  Jared  Bailey;  but  if  it  were  so,  how 
could  he  convince  Mr.  Sommers  against  his  assertions, 
witliout  first  showing  that  he  was  an  unjjrincipled  man, 
and  prompted  by  selfish  motives?  And  how  could  he 
do  this  while  he  was  refused  even  a  hearing  ?  It  was  a 
delicate  matter,  too,  for  Mr.  Sommers'  family  as  well  as 
for  himself 

And  then  Benjamin  called  to  mind  several  disreputable 
things,  positively  known,  against  Judge  Bailey's  charac- 
ter, which,  for  the  sake  of  the  family  name,  the  relatives 
had  concealed  among  themselves. 

There  was  a  belief,  too,  among  some  of  the  relatives, 
that  Judge  Bailey,  many  years  before  this,  had  obtained 
fraudulently  the  signature  of  his  father  to  a  will  just 
before  his  father's  death,  and  by  fraud  or  bribery  had 
also  obtained  the  signatures  of  the  subscribing  witnesses 
to  the  will. 

The  circumstances  which  led  to  the  suspicion  that  Jared 
Bailey  had,  somehow,  obtained  more  than  his  rightful 
share  from  Benjamin's  grandfather,  Mortimer  Bailey,  were 
as  follows :  his  last  will  and  testament  gave  property  to 
the  amount  of  seventy-five  thousau'i  dollars  to  Jared 
Bailey,  and  only  about  twenty  thousand  dollars  worth  of 
land,  near  Fallington,  to  John,  Benjamin  and  Matilda 
Bailey,  heirs  of  Dr.  Luke  Bailey,  deceased. 

Mortimer  Bailey,  at  the  time  this  will  was  made,  was 
on  a  visit  to  Jared  Bailey's,  where,  by  an  accident,  he 
met  with   injuries  which,  though   not   at   first   thought 


w 


r 


.■   ill 


I  i 


.1^1     .« 


62 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA, 


Ilk 


serious,  did  at  the  end  of  three  weeks  prove  fatal.  After 
liis  death  a  will  was  produced,  making  the  above  unequal 
division  of  property.  The  will  was  dated  two  weeks  after 
the  injuries  had  been  received.  The  friends  of  Mrs.  Dr. 
Luke  Bailey's  family  inquired  into  the  matter,  but  found 
that  the  signatures  of  Mortimer  Bailey,  and  the  witnesses 
John  Vroman,  James  Figsley  and  Adeline  Wildvrman, 
were  genuine.  And  Mrs.  Jared  Bailey,  with  great  serious- 
ness, and  having  the  reputation  of  a  pious  woman,  de- 
clared that  she  was  present  and  heard  the  testator  express 
his  wishes  and  dictate  the  writing  of  the  will,  and  saw 
him  read  and  sign  it.  The  doctor  who  attended  him, 
affirmed  that  lie  was  in  his  right  mind  up  to  the  day  and 
hour  of  his  death.  A  circumstance,  however,  took  place 
afterwards,  which  created  a  suspicion  that  a  fraud  had 
been  committed ;  but  the  legal  evidence  was  wanting  I  or 
rather  it  was  not  to  be  obtained  at  the  time  it  was  wanted 
or  sought  for  I 

An  innocent  girl,  by  name  of  Eleanor  Grace,  was  liv- 
ing in  the  family  of  Jared  Bailey  at  the  time  the  will  was 
made.  She,  not  long  afterward,  stated  some  facts  in 
answer  to  inquiries,  which  created  suspicion  and  contra- 
dicted important  declarations  that  had  been  made  by 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jared  Bailey,  who  had  become  frightened, 
and,  in  order  to  throw  discredit  upon  Eleanor's  statements, 
had  represented  her  to  be  a  girl  of  so  bad  a  character, 
that  they  had  been  compelled  to  refuse  her  a  home  with 
them  any  longer  than  till  she  could  find  some  other  place 
to  live.  For  reasons  that  could  only  be  surmised,  the 
witnesses  to  the  will,  and  parties  interested  in  it,  sided 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


63 


.     Aflur 
!  unequal 
icks  after 
Mrs.  Pr. 
lit  found 
witnesses 
ikkrman, 
it  serious- 
Dman,  de- 
31  express 
,  and  saw 
ided  him, 
le  day  and 
took  place 
fraud  had 
anting!  or 
;as  wanted 

e,  was  liv- 
le  will  was 
te  facts  in 
ind  contra- 
made  by 
frightened, 
statements, 
1  character, 
home  with 
other  place 
rmised,  the 
in  it,  sided 


with  Jarcd  Bailey's  fiirnily  against  Eleanor's  character, 
till  some  of  Eleanor's  friends  lor  whom  she  most  cared, 
including  a  young  man  to  whom  she  was  expecting  soon 
to  he  married,  could  not  doubt  so  many  witnesses,  and 
turned  against  her  also — without  considering  that  they 
were,  perhaps,  all  interested  in  securing  a  portion  of  the 
property,  lleart-broken  and  desperate  for  the  injustice 
done  her,  she  was  too  impulsive  to  wait  for  time  to  defend 
her,  and  she  suddenly  disappeared — no  one  knowing 
whither  she  went. 

A  brief  letter  sent  to  Benjamin's  mother,  from  Eleanor, 
read  as  follows : 

"Dear  Mrs.  Bailey — I  saw  and  heard  enough  to  know 
there  was  another  will.  I  heard  the  sick  man  read  it ;  it 
divided  the  property  equally,  giving  no  more  to  Jared 
Bailey  than  to  you  and  each  of  your  children.  The  next 
day  after  that  will  was  made  and  signed,  they  pretended 
there  was  a  mistake  and  they  would  write  it  over.  They 
then  let  the  old  man  read  a  copy  which  was  written  as  he 
wanted  it  should  be,  and  while  he  was  raising  up  to  pre- 
pare to  write  his  name  they  exchanged  for  a  different 
will  than  what  he  had  read.  This  I  saw  with  my  own 
eyes  as  the  door  stood  ajar!  Mrs.  Bailey  was  in  the  room 
and  aided  the  deception.  Adeline  knows  the  truth,  but 
is  afraid  to  tell  it. 

"But  my  evidence  could  do  you  no  good,  for  they 
would  swear  me  into  prison  for  telling  the  truth.  They 
have  robbed  me  of  all  that  was  dear  on  earth  to  me,  and 


64 


A    STOllY    OF    NIAOAUA. 


now — but  no  matter.     Vindication  and  vengeance  will 
yet  be  mine. 


"  Yours  truly, 


"Eleanoii  Gjiack. 


"P.  S. — As  lieaveu  is  my  witness,  all  I  have  stated 
above  is  true.  E.  G." 


i^i 


i , 


i« 


■    *!J 


And  the  letter  was  true,  but  it  took  twenty  years  for 

time  to  develope  the  evidence ;  but  when  it  did  so,  it 
brought  to  light  the  accumulations  of  other  wrongs. 

At  the  time  her  letter  was  written,  however,  the  state- 
ments of  Eleanor  Grace  were  thrown  into  discredit ;  and 
when  at  last  she  did  not  appear,  John  Vroman  started  a 
report  that  Eleanor  had  been  seen  in  a  dance  house  in 
New  York  city,  in  a  pitiful  state  of  intoxication.  Under 
the  circumstances,  it  was  for  Mrs.  Jared  Bailey's  interest, 
to  believe  the  story ;  and  so  she  reported,  as  she  touched 
with  feigned  regret  the  corner  of  her  handkerchief  to  her 
eyes,  that  she  supposed  the  story  was  true  I 

Nearly  twenty  years  was  now  passed,  and  nothing  more 
had  been  heard  of  Eleanor  Grace,  and  no  further  light 
about  the  will ;  so  that  at  this  time  Benjamin  detests 
Jared  Bailey  less  for  any  suspicions  about  the  will,  than 
for  the  mean,  heartless  and  relentless  falsehoods  he  was 
known  by  a  few  of  the  relatives  to  have  reported,  to  screen 
himself  from  blame,  by  attempting  to  misrepresent  cer- 
tain res2)ectable  females,  who  had  exposed  his  peculiar 
style  of  abuse,  and  sometimes  his  criminal  assaults  upon 
them.  Benjamin  himself  had  a  partial  knowledge  of  one 
instance,  which  happened  an  evening  a  few  weeks  before 


tt.i 


A   STORY    OF   NIAGARA. 


66 


Lfinra  Sommors  came  to  Fallington.  The  circumstanco 
coiifirincd  him  in  tlie  opinion,  tliat  the  aristocratic  old 
man  was  a  criminal  at  heart.  Ue  did  not,  however,  deem 
it  best  to  re[)ort  tlie  matter,  since  it  would  be  embarrassing 
to  innocent  parties,  and  truth  might  have  to  battle  with 
so  many  iiilsehoods  that  the  innocent  would  be  injured ! 
What  he  knew  of  the  alt'air  was  this : 
Benjamin  had  been  requested  by  Mr.  Baldwin,  on  the 
evening  referred  to,  to  leave  a  letter  at  Judge  Bailey's,  as 
he  passed  that  way. 

"A  fine  residence  this,"  thought  Benjamin,  as  he  opened 
Judge  Bailey's  front  gate,  and  walked  toward  his  house, 
through  an  alley  1  'ordered  with  box  wood ;  "  and  it  hardly 
seems  possible  that  it  covers  so  much  sin  as  some  of  the 
family  relatives  hint  of  among  ourselves  I  '  Charity 
hideth  a  multitude  of  wickedness  I '  as  black  Jim  quotes 
it,"  said  Benjamin  to  himself,  "  but  riches  and  hypocrisy," 
added  Benjamin,  "  a  great  deal  more  ! " 

When  about  to  ring  the  door  bell,  he  was  startled  by  a 
sudden  jam  against  the  door  from  the  inside,  as  if  a  person 
had  run  or  been  pushed  against  it,  which  of  course  led 
Benjamin  to  pause  a  moment  before  ringing  an  interrup- 
tion  to  the  inmates  of  the  residence  of  the  dignified  Judire 
Bailey. 

The  disturbance  was  repeated,  during  which  time 
our  accidental  listener  overheard  a  female  voice  saying, 
"  You  old  hypoci-ite !  if  your  wife  would  slander  me  to 
screen  you,  I  shall  expose  you  just  the  same,  as  a  heart- 
less wretch !  or,  if  you  like  it  any  better,  I  will  give  you 
till  to-morrow  noon  to  settle  this  matter.  This  is  your 
last  insult !  you  old  brute !  " 


66 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


'    "4       ','  I  ' 


"  For  heaven's  sake,  stop  your  noise  and  I'll  settle  it," 
said  a  voice  which  Benjamin  was  certain  he  recognized  as 
that  of  the  old  Judge !  though  the  voice  was  in  a  sub- 
dued tone. 

As  soon  as  this  mysterious  little  quarrel  had  seemed  to 
cease,  Benjamin  rang  the  door  bell ;  but  no  one  came  to 
the  door  till  he  was  obliged  to  ring  a  second  time.  Then 
old  Bailey  himself  came  to  the  door,  and  received  the 
letter  as  if  nothing  had  happened ;  except  that  Benjamin 
thought  the  old  man's  attempt  to  smile  looked  as  if  it 
was  composed  of  equal  parts  of  hypocrisy,  depravity, 
selfishness  and  confusion. 

As  Benjamin  put  away  the  letter  from  Mr.  Sommers 
in  his  secretary,  and  thought  of  the  circumstance  just 
related,  he  said  to  himself,  "As  I  live,  if  I  had  much 
grounds  to  suppose  that  he  is  the  one  who  has  separated 
Laura  Sommers  from  me,  by  some  wicked  plan,  I  would 
have  that  front-door  mystery  investigated  I  I  would  find 
out  what  female  voice  that  was,  and  how  crime  can  be 
settled  I  It  was  undoubtedly  an  assault  with  crhninal 
intent." 

Then  he  reflected,  that,  in  case  of  his  exposing  the 
Judge,  it  would  be  no  credit  to  himself  to  have  it  said 
that  Judge  Bailey  was  any  relation  of  his;  "and.  yet," 
thought  Ben,  by  way  of  apolog} ,  "  everybody  is  related 
to  somebody  whose  organism  has  been  unduly  aifected  by 
the  law  of  total  depravity. 

But,  finally,  Benjamin  concluded  that  he  must  drop  tho 
slander  matter;  at  least  so  far  as  to  wait  further  develoj)- 
ments. 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA 


67 


Up  to  the  time  when  Benjamin  Bailey  received  the  ap- 
pointment to  go  to  Niagara,  which  was,  as  we  liave  before 
intimated,  about  one  year  after  the  occurrences  above 
related,  nothing  took  place  to  give  Benjamin  any  light  on 
the  subject  of  the  slander.  Though  he  sometimes  con- 
soled himself  with  the  old  adage,  that  "  Truth  and  right 
will  prevail,"  or  that  "  It  is  a  long  road  that  has  no  turn." 

And  it  is,  indeed,  true,  that  the  guilty  have  as  much 
reason  to  fear  as  the  innocent  have  to  hope.  For  they 
who  follow  a  course  of  deception  and  depravity,  or  do 
any  acts  disregardful  of  the  rights  and  feelings  of  others, 
0,  do  they  not  find  at  last,  that  events  connect  themselves 
together  on  the  map  of  time,  so  that  they  trace  each  other 
out! 


*l 


m 


*i.3 


s 


li 


rfli! 


■  V! 


, 


!l 


CHAPTER  VI. 


A  peep  into  a  Private  Political  Caucus— A  Humiliating  Necessity— Tlie  Little  Law- 
yer's Startling  Proposition. 


Judge  Bailey  was  a  shrewd  politician,  and  had  man- 
aged to  keep  in  office,  first  in  one  party  and  then  in  the 
other,  for  a  number  of  years ;  and,  since  his  son  David's 
last  failure  in  the  dry  goods  business,  he  had  been  talking 
with  some  of  his  confidential,  political  friends  on  the 
prospect  of  securing  an  appointment  for  his  son,  to  some 
good  government  office.  These  friends  had  all  promised 
to  do  what  they  could.  This  meant  much,  or  little. 
With  some  it  meant  all  they  could  do  "consistently;" 
with  others,  all  they  could  do  "under  existing  circum- 
stances ;"  with  some  it  simply  meant  that  what  they 
could  do  was  nothing ;  for  the  delicate  reason  that  they 
had  more  particular  friends  whom  it  was  more  to  their 
own  interest  to  prefer ;  besides,  there  were  many  others 
whose  friendship  they  would  be  glad  to  purchase  by  the 
same  favor ;  or,  perhaps  because  they  had  alike  promised 
their  influence  to  a  dozen  others  for  the  same  place ;  or, 
perhaps  it  meant  they  could  do  nothing,  simply  because — 
as  they  secretly  knew — they  had  no  influence  in  the  direc- 
tion they  were  giving  encouragement  I 

There  arc,  however,  some  men  in  politics  as  in  other 


A    STOllY    OF    NIAGARA. 


69 


matters,  who  can  be  relied  on.  Judge  Bailey  understood 
all  this.  lie  understood,  too,  the  influences  which  would 
be  most  effectual  in  making  his  professed  friends  serve 
him,  whether  thej  were  real  friends  or  not.  So  long  as 
he  could  make  them  believe  that  it  was  to  their  interest 
to  serve  him,  so  long  he  told  himself  they  woidd  serve 
him.  He  understood  all  the  shades  of  political  promises, 
and  had  made  them ;  promises  with  mental  reservations ; 
promises  with  various  conditions;  and  no  doubt  many 
for  various  "considerations."  Some  of  these  promises 
Mr.  Jared  Bailey  intended  to  keep  faithfully.  When  he 
thought  it  was  for  his  interest  to  remember  a  political 
"understanding"  he  never  forgot  how  it  was  understood. 
When  he  did  not  accomplish  for  others,  all  that  political 
advantage  which  he  had  led  them  to  expect,  he  either 
made  ingenious  explanations,  or  declared  that  he  had 
found  it,  at  that  juncture  of  affairs,  impossible.  Then  he 
made  new  promises. 

The  day  before  the  scenes  at  widow  Bailey's — the  nota- 
ble explosion  and  the  telegraphic  announcement  of  Ben- 
jamin's appointment — some  of  Judge  Bailey's  friends  and 
political  subalterns,  whom  he  could  rely  on,  were  invited 
to  a  consultation  at  his  office,  where  it  was  talked  over 
'who  would  be  good  men  for  such  and  such  offices.  Some 
who  were  not  present  were  talked  over  at  first;  but 
fmally  they  took  up  each  other's  "claims"  on  the  "party," 
and  the  result  of  their  little  private  caucus  showed  that 
under  the  head  of  "claims,"  and  "availability,"  and  the 
self-sacriticing  spirit  which  each  and  all  had  shown  in 
attending  war-meetings,  and  in  urging  men  to  enlist  in  the 


'41 

J- "a 

-'i-g 

m 


v 


ri\' 


•m 


v-r' 


fr- 


SIMB 


f 


t 


70 


A    STORY    OF   NIAGARA, 


army,  each  one  there  present  at  Judge  Bailey's  caucus, 
was  marked  down  on  the  political  slate,  for  nomination  or 
appointment,  and  chances  were  canvassed  for  three  or 
four  years  ahead. 

"There  are,"  said  Judge  Bailey,  "certain  persons  who 
have  influence  in  every  neighborhood,  and,  as  a  matter  of 
policy  essential  to  success,  we  must  secure  their  friendship ; 
but  if  we  find  that  we  cannot  control  their  influence — if 
they  are  too  selflsh,  and  try  to  gobble  up  ofiices  that  nat- 
urally belong  to  some  of  us,  why,  then,  we  must  2iut  them 
down^  and  put  forward  some  others  in  their  places  whom 
we  ca?i  control !  And  right  here,"  added  the  Judge, 
"  while  I  think  of  it,  we  must  all  be  sure  to  advise  our 
friends  in  each  election  district  of  the  county,  to  get  their 
friends  to  be  seen  at  every  caucus  and  preliminary  meet- 
ing; for,  don't  you  see,"  said  the  Judge,  with  a  signifi- 
cant smile  and  a  cunning  sparkle  in  his  small  red  eyes, 
"there  is  where  the  ball  is  started — where  the  twig  is 
bent,  and  where  the  secret  lies — where  they  make  the 
delegates  that  set  up  either  our  friends  or  our  enemies ! " 

Finally,  Judge  Bailey  got  things  ready  where  he  could 
modestly  say,  that  seeing  they  were  all  together  he  wished 
they  would  get  up  a  letter  and  all  sign  it,  so  that  his 
friend,  Mr.  Lyman  Baldwin,  who  was  now  in  Washington, ' 
could  see  (said  Judge  Bailey,  watching  closely  the  eft'ect 
of  his  artful  words)  that  "we  are  all  acting  together  as  his 
friends,  and  that  we  can  support  him  in  recommending 
David  to  the  appointment  as  custom-he  ^etective  on 
the  Niagara  frontier.  Mr.  Baldwin,"  uo  continued,  "is 
the  special  agent,  you  know,  and  there  is  a  vacancy,  so 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGAIiA 


71 


tliat  lie  can  make  one  selection  to  fill  an  office  tlicre.  He 
wants  David  to  have  tlic  appointment,  but  if  the  pressure 
of  inlluence  is  too  strongly  in  favor  of  some  other  can- 
didate, on  account  of  our  neglecting  the  matter,  of  course 
lie  would  have  to  go  for  whoever  that  other  candidate 
inio-ht  be." 

Of  course  Judge  Bailey  don't  want  these  friends  of  his 
to  suspect  that  David  can  fail  of  getting  the  appointment 
by  any  lack  of  his  influence;  for  their  belief  in  his  influ- 
ence is  his  power  over  them ! 

"Let  me  make  a  suggestion  here,"  said  one  of  the 
shrewdest  of  the  number  present.  "You  know,  Judge, 
that  Lyman  Baldwin  is  under  great  obligation  to  some 
others  besides  our  friends.  Now,  there  is  Ben  Bailey, 
I've  been  told  this  very  day  has  more  influence  with 
Baldwin's  friends  than  any  other  man  among  all  the 
farmers  in  the  county,  and  if  yt)U  could  get  his  name  to 
our  paper  it  would  show  that  we  have  the  farming  com- 
nmnity  represented  with  us,  which  none  of  our  names 
you  know  will  show." 

"Well,  that  is  so,  Judge,^"  said  another,  "and  of  course 
3^ou  being  a  relative  can  easily  get  his  name. 

"  The  worst  of  it  is,"  said  the  Judge,  after  a  moment's 
hesitation,  "  our  families  have  never  been  intimate  enough." 

"No,"  said  David,  "I  don't  suppose  we  could  ask  or 
expect  Ben  to  favor  me  in  such  a  way  as  this,  and  I 
don't  think  father  and  I  need  his  help." 

"  I  think  we  can  find  some  better  man  to  represent  that 
class,"  said  the  Judge. 


m 


4' 


72 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


t 


1 1 


"Get  Am,  tlioiigh,  if  you  can,"  said  the  man  who  had 
made  the  suggestion. 

i^avid  Bailey's  letter  of  recommendation  was  tlien  made 
out,  and  as  they  walked  up  to  the  table,  one  after  another, 
and  signed  their  names,  the  Judge  said  he  presumed 
that  Ben  Bailey  ivould  sign  it,  too,  as  he  had  always 
treated  him  very  kindly  himsplf ;  at  any  rate  he  would 
see  him  the  next  day. 

Finally,  they  had  all  signed  except  the  village  lawyer, 
who  had  not  appeared  well  satisfied  with  the  prospects 
allotted  to  his  share  of  the  political  future. 

"  If  there  be  nothing  more  to  do  here,"  said  the  little 
lawyer,  with  a  mysterious  expression,  "I  claim  the  privi- 
lege to  propose " 

Here  the  little  lawyer  paused  and  looked  slowly  around 
as  if  to  inspect  the  number  present.  The  Judge  was 
afraid  something  was  going  wrong.  All  turned  attention 
to  the  little  lawyer,  who,  knowing  the  tricks  of  a  public 
speaker,  had  lengthened  his  pause  on  the  word  propose, 
just  enough  for  their  impatience  to  intensify  their  curi- 
osity to  know  what  it  was  he  wanted  to  propose,  wdien 
they  had  supposed  everything  agreed  upon. 

"  To  propose,"  repeated  the  little  lawyer,  "  that  as  soon 
as  we  shall  have  completed  the  signing  of  this  document, 
we  proceed  en  masse  to  the  American  Hotel  or  to  Dutch 
Henry's  lager  beer  saloon,  and  that  the  Judge  and  David 
individually,  and  at  two  several  times  successively,  stand 
treat  for  all  that  shall  be  then  and  there  2:)rcsent." 

"  Certainly,  a  perfect  sine  qui  nonT''  said  one. 

"  Bravo !  bravo ! "  said  another. 


A    S  r  0 11  Y    O  F    N  I  A  (5  A  H  A. 


73 


*'So  mote  it  be,"  acquieaeed  the  Judge,  in  a  mcriy 
mood. 

At  tlic  Fame  moment  all  the  rest  maiiifestc<l  in  sf)mc 
way  that  tlicy  favored  the  little  lawyer's  proposition — as 
exactly  the  thing. 

"Oh,  one  thing  more,"  said  the  little  lawyer,  as  ho 
stepped  forward  and  took  np  his  pen,  "  the  Judge  is  to 
go  for  me  for  Member  of  Assembly  next  year." 

"  Yes,"  said  the  Judge  in  his  most  winning  way,  while 
ho  took  care  to  qualify  his  promise,  "we  will  all  go  for 
you  just  as  long  as  there  is  a  possible  cliance  for  your 
nomination." 

And  as  the  little  lawyer  turned  his  eyes  with  an  inquir- 
ing look,  he  thought  the  rest  of  them  gave  a  very  cordial 
sanction  to  the  aforesaid  political  promise.  The  little 
lawj'cr  signed  the  paper.  The  Judge  thanked  his  friends. 
And  the  little  lawyer  said:  "Now  which,  the  hotel  or 
the  saloon?" 

"The  nearest  one  first,  and  the  othee  afterwards," 
promptly  responded  one  whose  face  had  acquired  a  per- 
nuiticiit  blush. 

They  went  accordingly. 


i 


m 


>    it 


W    <; 


I 


[ 


1 


CHAPTER  VII. 


•  It 


H  i 


■» 

: 

1 

i{ 

1 

' 

! 

;*< 

'1     '1 

ft 

41? 

i  i 

II  i' 

■ 

An  Unusual  Visit— Mysterious  Matters  Referred  to— Most  Angry  towards  whom  he 
has  most  Injured— How  a  bold,  bad  man  tries  to  stand  upon  his  dignity. 


The  next  ly  after  the  private  caucus  held  in  tlie  office 
of  Judge  }  —ley,  lie  drove  into  the  country  to  sec  his 
nephew.  He  has  the  paper  in  his  pocket,  which  was 
signed  by  his  political  friends,  in  favor  of  his  son's  ap- 
pointment. Judge  Bailey  wants  Benjamin's  name  to  tliat 
paper !  We  shall  see  if  he  gets  it.  This  day  was  full  of 
events  at  the  farm  house — even  the  old  anvil  had  to  ex- 
plode, as  you  remember.  And  the  boy,  who  had  brouglit 
the  telegram  announcing  Benjamin  Bailey's  apiwintment 
to  the  very  office  the  Judge  is  seeking  for  his  son, — had 
been  gone  from  the  door  of  the  old  farm  house  less  than 
half  an  hour,  when  the  aristocratic  relative  rapped  on  the 
same  door.  Matilda  proceeded  to  answer  the  call ;  and 
her  mother,  in  a  suppressed  tone  of  voice,  exclaimed : 

"Mercy  on  me!  Matilda,  I  hope  that  telegraph  boy  is 
not  back  here  again !  " 

Matilda  met  lior  uncle  at  the  door,  and  invited  him 
into  the  pai"lor  so  politely  and  kindly,  that  the  Judge 
was  now  willing  to  forget  that  he  or  his  family  had  ever 
wronged  or  proudly  neglected  his  country  relatives. 
And    lie    hoped,  in    his   scllishness,  that  he  might  iind 


A    S T 0  K  Y    OF    N  1  A G  A K  A. 


75 


"Widow  Builey  equally  forgetful  of  the  old  suspicions 
against  him,  and  willing  to  "let  by-gones  be  by-goncs." 
The  Judge  bad  the  vanity,  too,  to  think  his  call  was  an 
honor  to  the  widow's  family ;  for  he  had  a  habit  of  for- 
getting, or  seeming  to  foi'get,  any  mean  thing  he  had  done 
against  his  poorer  relatives.  No  matter  how  great  that 
injury,  any  reference  to  it,  or  any  satisfaction  demanded, 
he  considered  an  insult,  and  thought  himself  meanly  used 
if  not  immediately  forgiven,  in  consideration  of  what  he 
intended  to  do  for  them — after  his  death — in  his  will ! 

When  Mrs.  Bailey  entered  the  parlor,  and  shook  hands 
with  Jared  Bailey,  she  exclaimed : 

"  Mercy  on  me  !  Mr.  Bailey,  what  brouglit  you  hero ! 
Wliy,  how  is  your  family  ?  Why  don't  they  never  come 
to  see  us?" 

Mr.  Bailey  was  very  agreeable ;  he  had  often  intended 
to  come,  but  he  did  not  go  anywhere ! 

After  a  few  moments,  he  inquired  for  Benjamin. 

Benjamin  was  sent  for — came  into  the  parlor.  The 
uncle  and  nephew  met !  The  uncle  was  never  so  cordial 
in  his  greeting  ;  the  nephew  was  polite,  but  formal.  They 
tixlked  of  the  weather,  and  of  matters  of  general  interest. 
At  last,  the  Judge  was  glad  to  hear  that  Benjamin  was 
quite  a  politician ;  and  if  he  ever  wanted  an  ofTice,  he, 
the  Judge,  could  help  him,  and  should  be  glad  to  do  so. 
"  The  way  it  is  with  politicians,"  said  Judge  Bailey,  at- 
tempting a  very  pleasant  smile,  "they  mnst  help  each 
other;  and  I  thought,  perhaps,  you  would  like  to  ])ut 
your  name  down  with  some  of  the  most  influential  ones 
uf  our  l»arty,  who  are  friendly  together,  and  are  always 


S/* 


» 


,.1 


r'      I     1 


li 


fr  M 


A   STOIIV    OF    NIAGARA. 


willing  lo  help  each  oLlicr.  It  id  for  an  OiTico  Mr.  Bald- 
win's iriend.s  arc  asking  for  vonr  cousin  David." 

"  Cousin  David  !  Very  douhtf  ul  conipliraent ! "  tliouglit 
Benjamin  ;  but  ho  cheeked  liirnsclf,  and  a.sked  : 

"  What  is  the  olliec  which  he  desires?" 

"Well,"  said  the  Judge,  "Mr.  Baldwi]i  is  a  f^pceial 
agent  of  the  Treasury;  and,  as  he  is  a  particular  friend 
of  mine,  he  is  anxious  to  give  David  an  office,  which  will 
require  him,  I  suppose,  to  go  to  the  Niagara  District  on 
some  private  matters  connected  with  the  customs  de- 
partment!" 

Without  replying  to  this  last  remark,  Benjamin  invited 
his  uncle  into  his  library. 

The  Judge  entered  the  library  with  Benjamin,  and 
seated  himself  with  all  the  cotilidencc  of  a  bold  and 
sellish  hypocrite.  lie  liad,  no  doubt,  long  ago  settled 
into  the  conviction,  that  his  wealth,  his  duplicity,  and  tlio 
standing  of  his  friends,  were  sullicient  to  conceal  his 
meanness  from  very  much  notice^  even  if  not  from  belief. 
Though  it  was  true  a  few  of  his  acts  had  sometimes  been 
the  gossip  of  his  neighbors;  but  they  had  been  hushed 
up  by  presents  to  those  who  cared  little  for  their  truth,  or 
smothered  by  other  influences,  so  that  tlie  status  of  the 
village  Baileys  in  society  remained  not  perceptibly 
changed.  In  fact,  there  were  many  who  claimed  that 
Judge  Bailey  and  his  wife  were  both  very  benevolent 
people — very  kind,  very  obliging.  But  there  were;  a  few, 
and  Benjamin  among  them,  who  knew  that  what  appeared 
to  be  generosity  was  generally  prompted  by  motives  e\- 
trcii.cly  seli'ish— a  sort  <,.i'  bri'.*c  tKiOV%)i  iqiuu  •' soc-Ic-iy," 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGAliA. 


i  t 


Btild- 


liouglit 


L"  friend 
icli  will 
trict  on 
>ms    de- 


bited 


lUV 


lin,  and 
old  aud 
>  settled 

and  the 
ceal  liis 
n  belief. 
aes  been 

buslied 
truth,  or 
s  of  tliC 
•cei)tibly 
lied  tbat 
nevolent 
vi)  a  few, 
ippeiu'od 
bives  ex- 


to  work  ui)  il,^  good  will;  o]\  in  s]HX'ial  ease;^.,  a  bid  for 
the  attention  of  frieml.-;  and  flatterer.-;;  or  a  .stingy  amount 
of  something,  iva  a  mixture  of  con.scicnec  money  and 
hush  money,  given  for  Avrongs  they  had  brought  u}ion 
others ! 

O,  ii'  Benjamin  only  knew  positively — if  he  had  the 
ecidence  of  the  seeret  history  of  this  man,  how  mueh  it 
might  have  availed  him  towards  making  Judge  Baihw  set 
him  ri'j;ht  with  Deacon  SonuTicrs  and  his  daughter!  As 
little  as  he  does  knov/,  ho  has  determined  to  seize  ujion 
this  opportunity,  to  attempt  to  find  out  the  source  of  the 
slander,  and  have  it  contradicted. 

The  Judge,  thus  far,  was  pleased  with  his  reception. 
Ue  expressed  great  satisfaction  that  his  nephew  had  so 
fitie  a  librarv. 

'' What  paper  do  you  wi.di  mc  to  ^ign?"  inquired  tlic 
nephew,  without  appearing  to  notice  the  uncle's  flattering 
remark's. 

The  Judge  then  showed  him  the  paper.' 

When  the  nephew  had  looked  over  the  petition  in  favor 
of  David  for  the  very  ofllce  which  that  moment  he  sc- 
ei'ctly  held  himself,  he  must  have  felfc  that  the  position  of 
his  village  uncle  was  slightly  ridiculous !  It  was,  indeed, 
hnmillating  enough  for  the  Judge  to  ask  (or  beg  rather) 
a  favor  from  his  country  ne})hew,  whom  ho  had  allowed 
his  family  to  slight  in  every  social  way,  and  whom  lie 
himself  had  only  one  year  before  most  wickedly  con- 
trived to  injure,  by  falsehood  to  the  father  of  Laura 
Somraers ! 

But  tiie  old  man  had  arrived  to  that  point  of  selfi'^h- 


If  I 


I ! 
■'I 

■  r  I ! 
f 


.1 


f*i 


■F 


4< 


m           « 

i    ^  ' 

■      i|'    li^ 

1   1 

1  'i  '• 

78 


A    STORY    OF    NiAOAliA. 


ncss,  wlicrc  conscience  and  honor  were  only  .sensitive  so 
far  as  lie  believed  liinisclf  exposed,  or  likely  to  be  so. 

Had  lie  known  what  Benjamin  knew  concerning  the 
a])i)ointincnt,  or  even  of  all  the  reasons  which  Benjamin 
had  for  suspicions  against  his  connection  with  the  slander 
ad'air,  the  present  ridiculous  tableau  of  old  Bailey  in 
Ben's  library,  praying  for  his  political  influence  in  favor 
of  David,  would  never  have  taken  place.  But  since  it 
did  take  place,  Benjamin  thought  it  a  fit  occasion  to  test 
his  suspicions,  which  of  late  had  grown  much  stronger 
against  his  uncle.  lie,  therefore,  approached  matters  with 
the  artful  old  man  carefullv. 

"Uncle  Bailey,"  said  Benjamin,  "what  reason  have 
you  to  suppose  the  little  influence  I  may  have  would  do 
you  any  good  ?  " 

"  I  have  been  told  it  would.  It  would  certainly  do  no 
harm  ;  and  it  would  be  a  commencement  of  reci})rocating 
fiivors,  and  Mr.  Baldwin's  friends  and  my  friends  will  be 
able  to  help  you  in  case  you  should  come  up  for  office." 

"  But,  uncle,  the  names  you  have  here  will  never  secure 
that  office." 

"Do  you  know  that,  Benjamin?" 

"Yes,  sir,  I  Icnow  that!" 

"That  may  be  so,"  replied  the  Judge;  "but  from  what 
I  have  heard  to-day,  I  believe  you  can  help  to  secure  the 
right  names.  Now,  Ben,"  said  the  Judge,  leaning  for- 
ward and  speaking  in  a  low  voice,  "will  you  keep  it  a 
secret  if  I  make  you  a  proposition  ?  " 

"  It  is  natural  and  usual,  I  believe,"  said  Benjamin, 
"  to  favor  those  who  favor  us." 


A    STOUY    OF    NIAGARA. 


79 


"Exactly  so;  tliat's  tlic  very  secret!  and  woe  be  to 
tlio  iiiiin  who  betrays  political  confidence." 

"Well,  what  is  your  proposition?"  inquired  Benjamin. 

"It  is  this:  take  this  petition,  or  get  private  letters — 
get  the  ri.qht  names,  and  the  day  your  cousin  David  gels 
the  appointment,  that  day  I  will  give  you  two  hundred 
dollars  in  gold ;  (which  in  these  war  times  you  know  is 
as  good  as  live  hundred  dollars  and  over,  in  greenbacks, 
or  any  United  States  paper ;)  and  if  you  want  a  hundred 
in  greenbacks  to-day  to  use  with  any  influential  friends 
of  yours,  you  shall  have  it." 

"Uncle  Bailey,  I  have  never  yet  offered  money  nor 
received  money  for  political  influence.  I  have  never  yet 
solicited  an  office.  If  I  am  a  politician,  it  is  only  in  the 
sense  that  I  love  to  defend  what  I  believe  to  be  correct 
])rinciples." 

"Very  true,  very  true,"  interrupted  the  Judge;  "but 
then  3'ou  know  we  must  use  the  same  weapons  which 
others  do,  or  we  and  our  party  too,  might  go  to  the  devil  1 " 

"But  wait  a  moment,"  said  Benjamin;  "what  I  was 
going  to  say  is  this :  I  don't  want  your  money,  but  there 
is  one  favor  you  can  do  me,  and  it  will  cost  you  nothing." 

"You  can  command  me,"  said  the  Judge,  "for  any 
influence  I  can  give  you.  Yoa  can,  Ben,  I  give  you  my 
word  and  honor." 

"Then,"  said  Benjamin,  "write  to  William  Sommers 
of  Niagara  Falls,  and  tell  him  whether  you  have  any 
reason  to  believe  I  ever  treated  any  young  lady  in  a  '  dis- 
honoral)le  and  heartless  manner  I' " 

As  he  said  tlr.j  he  looked  the  Judge  steadily  in  the 


M 

1  m 


!<!'',! 


liii 


1  -T 


^  'li 


le 


-.1 


80 


A    H  T  0  11  Y    0  F    X  I  A  fl  A  Tl  A. 


C3'C — in  .1  way  that  convinced  liim  tliat  Benjamin  I'ailey 
had  not  yet  forgotten  Laura  Sommers ! 

The  Judge  was  taken  by  surprise,  hut  assamed  great 
innocence  of  manner  as  he  rci^hed  : 

"Wliy,  wliat  on  earth  do  you  mean,  Benjamin?  and 
where  is  the  need  of  my  writing  tlint  to  Mr.  Sonuners?" 

"Will  you  do  me  that  favor?  '  asked  ]>enjamin. 

"  Wliy,  yes — of  course,  you  mry  refer  ]\Ir.  Somnicrs  or 
anybody  else  to  me  on  L^iy " 

Hero  Benjamin  iutcrru])ted  the  Judge,  and  explained 
all  he  knew  about  tlie  slivuder ;  and  that  ho  wanted  no 
reference;  but  wanted  tho  Judge  to  give  him  a  written 
statement  respecting  his  habits,  honesty,  and  good  moral 
character — such  as  would  convince  Mr.  Sommers  that  the 
slanderous  insinuations  were  without  foundation. 

"Why,  of  course,  Benjamin,  you  refer  Mr.  Sommers 
to  me,  and  I  should  take  pleasure  in  writing  to  him  that 
I  never  knew  aught  against  you " 

"And  that  you  do  not  believe  there  is  any  foundation 
in  foct  for  the  slander  which " 

"Yes,  I'll  say  all  I  can;  just  refer  Mr.  Sommers  to 
me ;  and  I " 

"No,  no,  not  refer  Mr.  Sommers  to  anybody,"  inter- 
nipted  Benjamin,  as  he  arose  and  opened  his  secretary 
and  produced  the  necessary  materials  ibr  writing  a  letter. 
"What  I  want,  is,  for  you  now  to  write  just  what  yon 
know  or  believe  about  that  slander,  and  let  mc  send  your 
letter  with  mine  to  Mr.  Sonmiers." 

"Wh;y,  Ben,  of  course,  I — I  can't  lielp  what  people 
may  say  about  you  or  me,  or  anybody.     The  least  said 


1 


.*« 


M 


ill.. 


inter- 


A    STOJtY    OF    X  1  A(.  A 


81 


fil)OUt  such  mfittcrs  tlio  beticr.  All  1  couJil  ,--ny  lihout  tlic 
matter  h\  ^vl)at  a  certain  girl  told  my  v;iio/' 

"Then  all  I  ask,"  Faid  Bcnjannn,  "is  lliat  yon  ^vrite  a 
letter  for  mo  to  send  to  Mr,  Sonnners,  and  let  him — and 
me,  t.oo — know  v,"I.io  that  girl  is." 

"Well,  Benjamin,  that  is  ^vliat  T  liavo  no  I'ight  to  do; 
lliat  wonldbc  dislumorable  in  me  to  betray  the  contidcnee 
the  girl  placed  in  niy  Vvdfe,  and  1  should  never  betray 
anybodj-'s  confidence !  Take  a  second  thought,  and  1 
think  3'ou  arc  too  honorable  to  ask  it." 

"Now,  Jnd<rc  Bailor,  -listen  to  v/iiat  1  tell  von.  It  i,-^ 
now  about  one  year  since  Lanni  Sonnncrs  \vrotc  me  a 
letter  tlirowing  mc  aside  as  nnworthy  her  contidcnee,  and 
ail  on  account  of  that  base  slander.  I  tell  you,  I  do  not 
know  even  a  foundation  for  the  insinuation ;  I  ask  you  to 
favor  me  so  rnnch  as  to  lielp  rnc  to  the  facts,  so  I  wmy  ti-aee 
it  out,  and  3'ou  refuse  under  a  ]U'ctensQ  th.at  you  are  too 
lionornhlc  to  betray  the  coiilidenco  vdiich  in  this  case 
means  too  honorable  to  correct  falsehood  !" 

"Beware!  young  man,"  said  the  Judge. 

"Ilcar  nio,  then  I  shall  hear  you,"  replied  Ijcnjamin. 
"What  right,"  lie  then  added,  "have  yon  to  aid  one  in 
concealing  a  wiclv'ed  course  because  thev  have  trusted  vou 
in  the  secret? 

"  '  Who  strain  my  ptirso  slo;tl.-<  trash ;  ♦  *  * 
******** 
Hut  ho  that  niches  fnini  \vc  my  trooil  niiino 
Ijd'js  mc>  ol'  lh;it  wliiili  not  onrii'tioH  liini, 
Uul  iiiuUos  1110  poor  indeed ! ' 

''To  say  it  is  wrong  f(U'  you  to  betray  a  wrong,  is  but 

to  say  it  is  right  for  you  to  be  a  eonfedei-ate  to  sustain 
4*  ^ 


%    ! 


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■■"■    '                     ;I 

f . 

f 

I 

4 

^  -^        .. 

■*•                  1 

i 
i 

L    " 

if  ^  "  ^ 

82 


A    STOIIV    OF    X  I  AG  Alt  A. 


.111(1  conceal  tiiat  v,  rong,  you  knowing  it  to  be  such. 
Judge  Bailey,  yon  know  mc,  and  I  know  you  do  not 
doubt  my  word.  I  am  seeking,  too,  to  defend  my  re])U- 
tation  at  tlic  very  source  of  tins  slanderous  imputation 
against  me,  wliatever  that  source  may  be." 

"  Benjamin,  you  have  said  already  more  than  I  should 
bear  were  I  not  in  your  own  house ! "  said  the  enraged 
uncle,  as  he  rose  from  his  chair. 

"Stay,"  said  Benjamin,  "one  moment,  while  I  tell  you 
why  I  do  not  believe  that  you  hesitate  to  correct  that 
injury  to  me  on  the  grounds  of  honor.  I  now  fully 
believe  it  is  yourself  who  has  set  Mr.  Sommcrs  against 
me ;  for  as  nearly  as  I  can  learn,  you  are  the  only  one  with 
whom  he  is  acquainted  here,  except  widow  Cummings. 
It  is  for  that  reason  that  you  cannot  help  me  to  contra- 
dict the  slander.  But  unless  it  be  contradicted,  it  is  you 
who  have  cause  to  fear  the  truth,  not  I,'' 

"Young  man,  cx})lain  yourself !"  said  the  Judge. 

"That  is  what  I  desire  to  do,  sir,"  said  Beiijamin. 

"  Do  you  know  that  I  understand  something  of  the 
secret  of  your  transactions,  and  especially  of  that  afl'air 
on  the  evening  I  handed  you  the  letter  from  Mr.  Baldwin 
one  year  ago  and  over  ?  Be  cautious.  Judge  Bailey,  and 
wise  enough  to  do  me  justice,  or  the  public  shall  know 
that  secret,  tool  Will  you  now  correct  Mr.  Sommers' 
wrong  impressions  against  me?" 

"It  is  little  matter  to  me,"  replied  the  Judge,  "wdiat 
you  know ;  for  I  have  witnesses  enough  to  balance  your 
evidence.  And  now,  rash  young  man,  it  is  my  turn  to 
give  yott  warning !     Hold  your  tongue  of  what  you  know 


A    STOUV    OF    NlACrARA. 


83 


of  that  evening,"  .said  old  Bailey,  with  a  bold  look  of 
criminal  defiance,  "for  remember  that  a  ease  in  law  de- 
ponds  upon  evidence^  not  facts  /  upon  who  has  the  most 
good  witnesses,  the  best  lawyers,  and  the  most  money ! 
And  remember,  I  tell  you  to  warn  you,  remember  that 
when  you  swear  against  mo  as  to  what  you  alone  may 
know,  I  may  find  two  or  thi'ec  witnesses  to  contradict 
you,  and  at  last  convict  you  of  perjury;  and  by  that 
time  you  will  find  you  do  not  abuse  gray  hairs  and  Judge 
Bailey  with  safety  ! " 

"  Now,  young  man,  mark  what  I,  too,  have  said,  and  it 
may  save  us  both  trouble,  if  wc  are  wise  enough  to  come 
to  terms.  What  do  you  say  ?  a  truce,  or  shall  I  bid  you 
good  day?" 

"I  throw  myself  upon  truth,"  said  Benjamin,  "and 
have  no  truce  and  no  terms  to  make  with  wrong.  It 
serves  my  honest  purpose  to  know  what  this  interview 
has  revealed  of  you  !  When  gray  hairs  stoop  to  threaten 
wrong,  and  defend  wrong  with  more  w^'ong,  they  deserve 
less  consideration  than  the  rashness  of  youth." 

Judge  Bailey  waited  to  hear  no  more,  but  left  the 
library,  and  passing  through  the  sitting  room  and  parlor, 
left  the  house.  As  he  passed  through  the  sitting  room, 
however,  he  turned  and  cautioned  Benjamin  to  remember 
t!ic  warning  he  had  given  him. 


I! 


i. 


I  ! 


).--V 


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i 

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1 

■' 

CHAPTER  YIIT. 


IIow  ;in  niiKi'y  iiiiiii  flourished  liU  chip  ami  tal!:r(l  lo  Ihf  "  liittli;ii;;-p(i<(  "— SIimh^o 
llaiipciiiiii^'^  Cor  oiio  day — l>I;u'k  Tom's  opinion  of  Jiidj^o  IJailfy— An  AHY'diiiji 
Incident— Aunt  Tolly  and  Little  Tilly— Tlic  Mairaia  FroiitiiT 


Judge  Bailey's  interview  witli  Benjamin  at  the  oid 
fiirm-liouse,  to  secure  liis  political  influence,  Lad  jtroven 
not  only  a  failure  in  respect  to  tlie  object  of  liis  visit,  but 
it  had  heaped  up  a  combination  of  troublesome  thoughts 
about  other  matters,  which  greatly  excited  his  anger ;  and, 
as  he  emerged  from  the  house  and  walked  down  the  front 
yard,  he  manifested,  his  excited  state  of  mind  by  making- 
very  singular  gestures  with  his  walking  stick,  which  seemed 
entirely  uncalled  for ;  also  by  uttering  maledictions  against 
Benjamin,  and  swearing  that  Miss  Sommers  and  his  own 
women  matters  had  gotten  himself  badly  mixed  wp ;  and 
that  if  Benjamin  should  expose  him  it  would  cost  at  least 
a  thousand  dollars  to  bribe  witnesses,  besides  the  dano-er 
at  his  advanced  age,  of  finishing  the  sale  of  his  soul  to 
the  devil;  as  the  time  he  could  yet  hope  to  live  miglit 
prove  too  short  for  redemption !  And  then  he  broke  out 
again  with  an  oath  : 

"But  only  tliink  of  it,"  said  he  to  himself,  "the  ill- 
bred  youngs  fellow  dared  to  talk  to  me  of  my  fliults — to 
me.  an  old  man!  as  if  a  man  of  my  standing  would'iit 


A    STOUV    OF    NIAti.VliA. 


85 


Jind  .<oino  way  to  dcfeiul  liiniFcir,  riglit  or  \vron_fr.  Tlic 
iinpudcnt  3'oiing  rascal !  If  lie  exposes  me  in  lliat  devil- 
isli  adhir,  Adeline  must  swear  it  is  not  so!  or  I'll  cut  o(l' 
licr  ])rospeet:;  shorter  than  a  bob-tail  horse;  and  I'll  have 
Jerusiia  swear  licr  into  tronlJc,  somehow,  besides  swearin;^- 
rnc  oi't,  ii'  Adeline  ever  does  tell  the  truth!  Bat  I  mnst 
see  Adeline,  right  away,  and  give  her  a  hint  of  my  old 
witnesses,  Figsley  and  Vroman." 

'•Wliat  ails  this  infernal  Jialter?"  he  inrpiired  of  the 
knot  lie  liad  tied  to  fasten  his  horse  to  the  hitch ing-jwst. 
'"Tliauk  God  for  one  thing,"  he  muttered,  ^^mj  tcife  i.s 
still  an  active  member  of  tliC  biggest  church  in  the  place, 
and  she  believes  it  is  a  religions  duty  to  hide  that  infer- 
ii;d  foolish  alVair,  or  devilish  crime,  whatever  it  was!  I 
snjtposc  she  thinks  it's  a  }>ity  thongli,  for  people  of  onr 
standing  to  have  to  cover  up  things  by  falsehood;  but  of 
course  it  is  expected  people  must  defend  themselves;  and 
so  it  is,  one  foil}'',  one  sin,  one  disgrace  calls  out  another." 

Ya'  this  time  the  halt(.;r  was  untied,  the  Juds'C  was  in 
liis  butjffvv.  and  awav  he  drove,  with  his  reflections  and 
the  unsigned  pap^r. 

.Benjamin  was  in  no  mood  to  follow  the  Judge  to  the 
front  door  to  take  a  polite  parting ;  and  as  he  turned  and 
entered  the  sitting  room  he  found  his  mother  and  Matilda 
very  inrpiisitivc  and  curious  to  know'  what  was  the  cause 
of  such  an  al)rupt  leave-taking;  one  of  them  introduced 
her  inquiries  by  prefixing  "mercy  on  me  !"  and  the  other 
exclaimed : 

"Now,  l.)rother  Ben,  what  good  does  a  quari'cl  do?  I 
thought  you  could  alwa3's  keep  out  of  a  qunrrel  I" 


\ 


86 


A    &'iORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


if  W, 


<•.      i« 


"What  in  the  world  is  the  matter?"  inquired  Mrs. 
Bailey,  witli  intense  earnestness. 

"Mother  and  Matilda,"  said  Benjamin,  "it  was  a  pri- 
vate matter.  Jared  Bailey  is  a  greater  villain  and  a 
bolder  rascal  than  I  took  him  to  be ;  and  it  would  please 
me  if  I  only  knew  that  there  was  some  mistake  about  his 
birth !  for  he  is  meaner  than  any  genuine  Bailey  could 
be!" 

"  Mercy  on  me !  what  else  is  going  to  happen  to-day  ? 
What  is  the  trouble,  Benjamin  ?  Is  it  politics,  or  what 
is  it?" 

He  satisfied  his  mother  and  sister  with  a  partial  explan- 
ation, and  left  the  house,  saying  he  must  give  some  direc- 
tions to  Tom,  the  colored  man,  who  was  at  work  in  the 
front  yard. 

Altliough  giving  directions  to  Tom  was  his  ostensible 
object  for  leaving  the  house,  it  is  fair  to  presume  that 
Benjamin  had  other  thoughts  on  his  mind,  which  a  little 
walk  in  the  yard  might  tend  to  compose.  For  the  turn 
as  well  as  the  termination  of  the  conversation  with  his 
uncle  in  the  libraiy,  had  started  unpleasant  and  perplex- 
ing thoughts. 

As  Benjamin  approached  the  front  gate,  whence  the 
Judge  had  driven  away  only  a  few  moments  before,  he 
noticed  that  Tom  was  busily  talking  to  himself,  and  as 
busily  at  work  by  some  shrubbery  near  the  alley.  lie 
had  caught  the  following  sentences  before  the  old  colored 
man  observed  him,  and  it  was  evident  that  what  he  said 
must  have  reference  to  Judge  Bailey,  who  had  just  passed 
down  the  alley 


^ 


it^ 


A    STOIIY    OF    N  1  Ad  AHA. 


87 


"Y-a-s!  (lat  olo  fellow  wor  a  licap  madl"  miiUorcd 
Tom.  "  Fust  timo  I  cbbcr  scd  'im  here;  guess  it  bo  do 
las'  time,  too !  Git  out  ob  do  way,  scs  'e,  w'en  I  wani't 
in  de  way  a'  tall.  Y-a-s,  I  pity  de  worry  Loss  dat  draws 
sicli  a  man  !  Swearin'  all  de  way  down  de  alley — jerkin' 
do  liossc's  bridle.  I  hope  'e  git  so  mad  'e  l)ite  his  own 
nose  oil*  sometime  !  I  guess  Massa  Benjamin  finest  young 
man  he  ebber  seed !  I  wonder  wat  'c  means  'bout  Miss 
Somebody ;  he  better  not  mean  Miss  IMatilda,  or  I  hit 
'eni  five  times  to  wonct  'e  come  here,  'wen  nobody's  to 
home.  I  wish  do  Lord  de  war  would  give  colored  hjlks 
dc  riglit  to  defend  dcrsclves,  den  his  ugly  face  ebber 
come  here  agin,  an'  he  tell  me  wid  'is  big  cane,  to  git  out 
ob  dc  way — wen  I  wern't  in  de  way — I  knock  'm  wid  dis 
hoe  to  kingdom  come!  dat  I  would." 

"Well,  'Uncle  Tom,'  what's  the  trouble?"  interrupted 
Benjamin,  seeing  that  the  faithful  old  man  was  not  likely 
to  make  a  permanent  period  in  what  he  was  telling  him- 
self. 

"  0,  nuflen ;  I  wasn't  sayin'  nufi'en  to  nobody,  Massa 
Benjamin ;  jes  talkin'  to  myself  a  little,  dat's  all." 

"What  were  you  talking  to  yourself  for,  Tom?"  said 
Benjamin,  trying  to  get  the  old  colored  man  to  explain 
himself 

"0,  nuffen,  Massa  Benjamin;  but  you  axin  me  wot 
for  I  is  talkin'  to  myself,  makes  me  'member  wot  ole 
Aunt  Polly  used  to  say  w'en  I  was  a  little,  small  boy, 
way  down  in  Tennessee,  on  dc  ole  plantation.  '  Monstros 
sakes!'  scs  she — ." 

Here  the  old  man  stopped  suddenly  to  make  an  apology : 


i « 


:i| 


!.^li 


88 


A   s' r<t ;;  V    0  ;••   N  [  a  (i  A  i;  A. 


H 


\» 


"Wal,  now,  T  dcclar",  ]\r;i?:.'-;i  In'iijriinin,  may  bo  taint 
ppccful  for  1110  to  t(>ll  dc  story." 

"  O,  yes,"  said  Benjamin,  "tell  ns  v.lmt  you  rnncmber 
about  aunt  Polly ;  I  always  tliinl:  xow  juciiu  well,  uncle 
Tom." 

"  Y^a-^;— dat,  I  allcrs  do,  :Mar-'F\o." 

'i'hns  encouraged,  the  old  colored  man  conliimed,  and 
I'en  loaned  against  tlic  fence  and  listened,  tliongii  in  a 
half  absent-minded  ^yay,  as  lie  took  up  a  j-tiek  and  ]iro- 
cccded  to  whittle  it. 

'' Wul,  Aunt  Pollv  aliens  used  to  sav,  'mon;^lros  Fal<o.-; 
nllTO!  wasn't  I  talkin'  to  myself  'cause  der  wasn't  n()l)ody 
else  dat  I  w'as  talkin'  to?  an'  aint  it  ob  course  dat  w'c^n 
I'm  alone  I's  allcrs  ill  sleli  'rood  comvianv?'  an' den  she 
woald  ies  kauirh  herself  to  death,  till  she  sot  us  lanidiin' 
as  if  we  was  c/Z/ goia'  to  die!  But  bless  her  ole  soul,  1 
shan't  never  forget  w'cn  dej  Avhii-jped  her  little  gii'l — poor 
Tilly — to  death!  She  died  right  a  lore  our  eye:'. :  and 
den  dcy  wdu'ppcd  Aunt  Poll}' till  do.  blood  run  down  her 
back,  'cause  she  cried  so  mueli  about  do  cruel  death  ob 
her  dear  little  Tilly — poor,  ole  Aunt  Polly  and  poor  Tilly, 
too — de  whole  plantation  nebbcr  seed  her  laugh  any 
more  I " 

.  "That  was  a  good  many  years  ago,  'Uncle  Tom,*" 
paid  Benjamin,  as  the  old  man  felt  for  his  cotton  hand- 
kerchief. 

"  Y-a-s,  Massa  Benjamin,"  said  'Uncle  Tom,' wdping 
his  ovcs,  wdiich  were  dim  with  years  and  dim  with  tears 
that  had  started  at  the  calling  of  }  cars  agone!  "Y-a-s, 
dat  wa.^'^  a  cfood  intinv  rears  airo,  but  1  'nuMnbers  it  plain, 


'■f 

:l 


& 


\st^§-^ 


A    S'ltJli  V    O  F    A  1  AC  A  l!.\. 


89 


Fcf  'twas  tDiiiornnv  or  ycstcnlny.  'Twas  nlorc  1  knowM 
(Icrcwas  .sioli  n  j:;;oo(l  man  as  Gorrit,  Siiiitli  to  liel])  dc  poor 
black  man,  au'  dat  good  olc  man,  J<^]in  Brown,  what  tolc 
mc  wliicli  way  to  come,  an'  Ibllor  da  north  star  in  do 
night  time!" 

"But,  'Undo  Tom,'  you  are  forgetting  to  tell  me  wliut 
troul>lcd  vou  as  I  just  found  you  talkintr  to  yourself 
here,"  said  Benjamin,  still  wliitiliug  unconsciously — and 
his  thoughts  were  unsteady. 

"Y-a-s,  now  I  tell  ye,  Massa  Benjamin,  dat  man  whfit 
ooiiic  down  dc  alley  here— jes  drove  oil  wid  de  big  ear,o 
ill  'is  hand — he  wasn't  no  friend  to  nobody,  was  lie?" 

"l"m  very  sorry  to  say,  'Uncle  Tom,'  tliat  lie  is  a  very 
bad  man,"  was  Ben's  re])ly ;  and  he  whittled  harder  with- 
out knowing  that  he  whittled. 

"  Wal,  dat  w'hat  I  spect,  w'cn  lie  come  down  de  alley 
licre,  swearin'  and  talkin',  an'  he  look  so  much  like  de 
hard  massa  dat  tole  'cm  to  whip  little  Till}-  an'  Aunt  Pollj'-. 
0, 1  wish  I  could  forget  dat  time,  so  I  ncbber  'member  it 
any  morel     Dem  times  wor  awful  hard." 

"Well,  'Uncle  Tom,'  little  Tilly  was  better  df  when 
she  died,"  said  Ben,  while  the  old  fugitive  slave  pa-used 
and  again  felt  for  his  cotton  handkercliicf. 

"Y-a-s,  Massa  Benjamin,  so  she  wor,''  continued  Uncle 

Tom,  after  a  moment's  pause,  "may  be  de  ones  dat  siifier 

most  here,  will  hab  it  all  made  up  in  de  uddci'  world,  if 

dcy  be  patient,  and  lub  de  Lord  in  dis  world,  'cause  we 

don't  know  l)ut  eberyting  is  for  de  best  sometime!''' 
*         *         ■»"-;{•         -X-         -x-         -A-         -X-         -If 

Here  the  memoranda  furnished  by  Benjamin  Bniley  as 


f    ■'' 

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90 


A    STORY    OF    XIAOAUA. 


to  the  events  of  that  day,  as  well  as  to  the  interview  with 
'Uncle  Torn,'  a1)ruptly  closes.  And  we  only  know  that 
for  a  few  days  afterwards  Benjamin  s})ent  the  time  in 
making  pre])arations  to  leave  for  the  Niagara  District; 
and  that  Mr.  Baldwin,  like  a  good,  kind-hearted,  shrewd 
politician,  explained  to  Judge  Bailey  by  letter  how  he 
regretted  that  influences  were  such  that  for  this  once, 
he  had  been  obliged  to  disappoint  him  about  securing  an 
office  at  present  for  his  son. 


A  A 


4)     d< 


■11 


^. 


!; 


CIIArTEll   IX. 


Scciins  at  Niiisnm— An  Tiuiiiisitivc  Scrvnnt— A  Talkiii;,'  Ohost— Deacon  Sommcrs— 
The  Old  "FufrlUvc  Slave  Law"— Mrs.  Ilarlley'u  Loiter— More  Disclosures. 


The  autumn  leaves,  except  the  constant  evergreen,  had 
begun  to  change  to  the  tints  of  red  and  yellow,  and 
the  settuig  sun  of  a  beautiful  day  had  painted  up  the  sky 
in  colors  so  grandly  blended,  and  had  so  spread  his  influ- 
ence over  field  and  forest,  that,  oidy  for  the  knowledge  that 
it  would  all  so  soon  change  to  dreary  darkness,  one  could 
have  fancied  both  sky  and  earth  were  the  scenery  of  heaven. 

In  a  well-furnished  room  in  the  second  story  of  Deacon 
Sommcrs'  commodious  fiirm-house,  Laura  Sommers  was 
seated  alone  by  the  side  of  a  tabic  on  which  lay  the 
materials  for  writing  a  letter.  A  half  hour  had  passed 
away  and  she  had  not  written  a  line.  She  was  undecided 
and  unhappy ;  and  as  she  looked  out  of  the  window 
through  the  scattering  trees  to  the  west  of  the  farm-house, 
the  beautiful  sky  and  the  softened  rays  of  the  waning  day 
only  added  gloom  to  her  reflections. 

She  laid  her  pen  aside,  arose  and  approached  the 
window,  and  in  an  audible  voice  she  said:  "I  cannot 
lurite — lest  I  shjdl  say  too  much  ;  or  they  will,  to  whom  I 
entrust  my  secret!  I  look  out  u})on  this  bright  world 
and  all  would  be  happiness  for  me  if  my  own  thoughts 


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T 


92 


A    SToi!  Y    OF    XIAGA  i;  A. 


It 


■•■¥\ 


VTOuld  let  ine  forpot  how  I  loved  liim!  or  even  if  I  could 
convince  my  feelings  that  he  i;-?  as  bad  as  they  told  me," 

And  here  ovcrcoinc  l>y  her  feelings,  the  tears  started 
from  licr  eves;  and  lor  a  time  she  thon^'ht  no  more  of  the 
briglit  external  world. 

For  what  is  brightness  without  when  the  soul  is  drciirv 
within?  when  the  lips  are  silent  for  the  tremor  of  grief 
that  has  gained  control?  What  tliongh  we  vsay,  Why 
submit  the  will  to  grief?  Whtii  the  mind  is  possessed 
with  some  certain  thoughts,  so  that  there  are  no  otliei- 
tlioughts  for  the  time,  to  make  the  v/ill  come  up  to  change 
the  course  those  thoughts  drive  us  to  pursue,  whether 
fortunate  to  us  or  not,  vdio  shall  say  that  the  will,  or  (hat 
which  produces  frill,  can  change  one  instant  ere  it  docs  I 
Must  not  the  auspicious  moment  come?  And  do  not  the 
remote  as  VvcU  as  tlic  immediate  causes  all  have  their 
elYect  to  produce  the  state  and  quality  of  mind  at  the 
instant?  according  to  the  will  of  Ilim  "who  hath  orderci.l 
every  event!"' 

Laura  was  not  now  thinkin.g  of  the  happy  friends 
around  her,  her  father's  wealth,  nor  her  own  youthful 
beautv ;  and  who  can  snv  the  thoudits  we  arc  not 
tliinking — thcfj  can  come  up  to  rule !  And  yet,  as  it 
is  with  one,  so  it  is  in  this  respect,  with  each  succci-sive 
moment!  and  each  successive  thought! 

At  last  as  the  sun-lit  scene  had  faded,  Laura  again 
found  utterance. 

"It  is  strange,"  said  she,  "that  Benjamin  Bailey  is  so 
bad  and  I  could  only  hear  it  from  one  family  in  Fall  in 
tou.     I  don't  believe  it!"  and  then  she  held  her  handkei 


(T. 

o 


A    ri  T  O  It  Y    O  !•■    .\  L  A  <  i  A  [^  A 


m 


cliit'f  to  lior  face  again  uiul  sobbul  jis  siic  addod,  "and  yet 
I  do!  Father  t^ays  lie  knows  Judge  ]]aik'y  woiUd  not  say 
Hiieii  things  if  they  were  not  true !  and,  beside  that,  hid 
wife  said  so,  too, — and  she  is  sucli  a  })ious  woman  ! 

And  here,  as  if  convineed  tliat  her  worst  fears  were 
true,  she  attcnii)tcd  to  brusli  away  the  l/itter  tears  whieJi 
eaiiic  faster  and  faster  down  her  eheeks,  while  she  struggled 
to  resolve  again,  and  perhaps  for  the  liftieth  time,  that  she 
would  forget  him. 

As  Laura  was  giving  utterance  to  her  feelings,  she  was 
not  aware  that  a  listener  stood  at  the  partly  open  door  of 
the  roo'u. 

Poor  Dinah, — she  was  indeed  a  faithful,  simplediearted 
servant;  but  she  had  eyes  and  ears,  and  she  had  thoughts ; 
why  should  she  not  he  inquisitive  as  well  as  white  girls? 
l>ehides  this,  Dinah  felt  an  interest  in  the  Sommers  famil3\ 
She  and  her  nioth(;r  had  once  been  the  slaves  of  a  cruel 
master  in  Virginia;  and  !Mr.  Soniiners  was  one  of  the 
Abolitionists  wdio  ha<l  aided  them  in  making  their  eseape. 

Before  the  Soutlicrn  rebellioii,  Mr.  Sommers  had 
donated  large  sums  of  money  and  given  personal  aid  to 
])r()vide  means  for  the  secret  flight  of  slaves  from  th<.'ir 
ii!a:4crs  into  Canada;  notwithstanding  that  he  knew  the 
"Fugitive  Slave  Law,"  for  giving  any  such  "aid  and  com- 
loi-t,"  rendered  him  liable  to  a  line  of  one  thousand  dol- 
lar:-, arid  also  to  imprisonment. 

ITc  liad  in  tlio  course  of  thoso  transactions,  secreted 
Dlrtah  and  hor  mother  from  their  pursuers;  and  as  Dinah 
was  too  inex})erienced  in  housework  to  earn  her  living  or 
iiu  1  ivady  eiiiployiuent,  Mrs.  So;jiincrs  lunl,  at  the  re<j,iic.-t 


94 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


of  Dinah's  mother,  tiiken  her  into  her  own  family  to  live, 
and  Mr.  Sommers  had  carried  the  slave  mother  to  Lewis- 
ton  at  night,  and  placed  her  in  charge  of  other  anti-slavery 
men,  who  ferried  her  across  the  smooth  Niagara  River,  at 
that  place,  to  a  land  of  safety. 

For  the  past  five  years  Dinah  had  received  from  Mr. 
Sommers'  family  the  same  wages  that  were  given  else- 
where to  white  servants.  Ilcr  mother  had  been  two  or 
three  years  married  to  black  Jim,  the  fisherman,  and  lived 
in  Canada,  just  across  the  river;  but  Dinah  had  preferred 
to  live  in  the  family  of  Mrs.  Sommers;  she  often  told  her 
mother  she  "  always  was  goin'  to  stay  dah,  fur  she  didn't 
know  what  de  fam'ly  could  do  widout  her ! " 

Dinah  was  emphatically  an  eccentric  personage.  Some 
said  she  was  simple ;  others  that  she  was  nobody's  fool ; 
our  own  opinion  is,  that  among  her  multitudinous  freaks 
and  sayings  she  sometimes  said  very  wise  things,  and,  like 
a  great  many  precocious  children,  she  said  and  did  a 
great  many  wiser  things  than  she  herself  ever  compre- 
hendea  the  full  meaning  of, — precisely  as  some  men  by 
making  very  foolish  blun  rs  have  acquired  fortunes. 
One  thing  was  certain :  there  was  none  of  the  Sommers 
family  who  claimed  for  any  of  Dinah's  numerous  little 
annoyances  the  dignity  of  impudence. 

This  was  the  listener  at  Laura's  door. 

Dinah  had  been  sent  up  stairs  to  hand  a  letter  to  Laura 
which  Deacon  Sommers  had  just  brought  home  from  the 
Niagara  Falls  post-oiricc.  The  door,  as  we  luive  said,  was 
but  ])artly  open,  but  the  range  was  such  as  to  bring  Laura 
in  full  view  of  the  colored  girl.     Dinah  stopped  at  the 


i  J 


A    STORY    OF    N  I  A  (i  A  K  A. 


96 


door  and  listened.  She  liid  herself  partly  beliind  the 
door,  at  the  same  time  adjusting  it  so  that  she  could  peep 
tlirough  the  opening,  with  so  small  a  section  of  her  coun- 
tenance exposed  that  she  really  believed  no  chance  look 
of  Laura's  would  discover  her  inquisitiveness. 

As  Dinah  caught  Laura's  words,  she  grew  more  and 
more  eager  to  know  the  cause  of  her  troubles.  At  first 
.she  looked,  then  she  applied  her  ears  to  the  crevice,  and 
the  next  instant  she  directed  her  eyes  toward  Laura.  She 
grew  excited,  and  her  dark  eye-lids  peeled  themselves 
back  till  the  white  of  her  eye-balls  shone  fearfully  around 
their  dark  centers. 

"What  in  the  worl'"  said  she,  in  an  exclamatory 
whisper,  "am  de  matter  wid  my  missus  Laura!  She 
'pears  awful  strange — what  dat? — what  dat  she  say  in! 
De  lord  ob  lub ! — why  don't  I  keep  still,  now — so  I  hear 
dat?" 

"It  must  be  true,"  said  Laura;  and  if 'tis,  their  judg- 
ment is  right." 

"  Hark,  now,  what  dat  she  say  'bout  de  Judgement ! " 
muttered  Dinah,  beginning  to  be  superstitiously  alarmed — 
not  catching  her  meaning,  and  fancying  just  then  she 
heard  a  noise  in  the  dark  closet  at  the  end  of  the  hall. 

"But,"  continued  Laura,  just  then  raising  her  handker- 
cliiof  again  to  her  eyes,  "I  did  not,  no,  I  did  not  like 
what  the  Judge  said  the  last  day — I  was  there." 

As  Laura  was  speaking  the  words  ^'^  Judge  said  the  last 
diuj^''  Dinah's  superstitious  fears  were  confirmed ;  she 
heard  tlie  noise  in  the  dark  closet  plainer  than  before; 
wiiiU'  hor  ideas  of  Laura  and  of  the  white  handkerchief  to 


/^X 


96 


A    STOUY    OF    NIAGARA. 


Laurii's  face  now  reached  a  state  of  actual  confasion  and 
fright ;  and  she  ran  away  from  the  door  and  down  stairs 
iiB  last  as  she  could  go. 

Deacon  Sonimers  was  in  the  sitting-room  reading  to 
Mrs.  Somnicrs  the  news  from  the  armies  in  the  South, 
lie  had  just  linishcd  reading  an  account  of  the  surrender 
of  Fort  Wagner  to  General  Gilmorc,  when  Dinah  rushed 
into  the  sitting-room,  not  venturing  to  stop  till  she  reached 
the  dining-room  door,  and  exchuming  in  a  loud  whisjoer, 
as  if  afi'aid  the  causes  of  her  fright  would  overhear  her: 

"0, 1's  done  scart  to  def!  Der  is  suflin  in  do  dark 
closet — an  Miss  Laura — is  crvin'  'bout  de  Judge  an'  de 
last  day !     O,  Is  so  awfully " 

"What  do  you  say  about  Laura,  you  foolish  thing!" 
asked  Mrs.  Sommers  with  a  puzzled  expression,  as  she 
moderately  pi-oceedcd  to  go  up  stairs. 

"I  don't  believe  she  has  seen  Laum,"  said  Deacon 
Sonimers. 

"Scart,"  continued  Dinah,  "dat  I  can't  hardly  say 
nuflin — an' — an'  Miss  Laura  was  stan'in'  afore  the  winder — 
wid  a  white  cloth  over  her  face.  O,  I's  so  feav'd  she  done 
gone  crazy — cryin'  an'  talkin'  hersef  to  def — and  suifiii 
white  on  her  face — jcs  sef  she  wur  goin'  to  be  a  talkin' 
ghost !  O,  I's  so  sorry  for  Miss  Laura — go  up  dah,  too, 
Mister  Sonimers." 

"  Never  mind,  Dinah,  you  are  frightened  about  some- 
thing." 

"Dat's  wliat  I's  savin',  Mi.ster  Sommor?.  I's  fear'd 
Miss  Laura  is  haunted,  by  sulten,  in  de  dark  closet!" 

i>v  this  tiiiiC  Mr.  So:rimers  started  toward  the  stairv/ay 


^: 


A    STORY    OF   NIAGARA. 


97 


and  Mrs.  Sommers  had  met  Laura  at  tlic  head  of  the 
stairs.  A  few  minutes  later  and  all  was  cxi)laiiied. 
Laura  was  not  a  ghost,  with  a  white  cloth  over  her  face ; 
and  the  dark  closet  up  stairs  was  all  right,  as  it  is  in 
anybody's  house.  Dinah  was  sent  into  the  kitchen ; 
Deacon  Sommers  resumed  his  reading ;  and  Laura  was  in 
possession  of  the  letter  which  Dinah  through  all  her 
infpiisitiveness  and  fright,  had  clung  to  like  a  faithful 
keeper. 

As  Dinan  went  out  of  the  sitting-room  she  was  somc- 
wliat  ashamed  of  her  fright,  and  she  muttered  in  a  coji- 
fused  way,  as  if  partly  willing  to  be  heard : 

"  Well,  I  know'd  'twasn't  nuffen',  anyhow,  but  suflcn' 
was  de  matter ;  'twouldn't  be  nuffen  strange  if  de  house 
loas  ha'nted  when  dey  keep  de  rooms  so  dark  to  scare  de 
flies  out  What  if  de  sun-light  do  fade  de  carpets,  dat 
aint  spooks ! " 

Our  round,  revolving  world,  had  not  yet  hidden  all  the 
evening  light  behind  the  western  arch  of  lake,  land  and 
forest,  when  Laura  returned  to  the  window  where  she 
stood  when  Dinah  was  her  listener. 

She  saw  from  the  j)ost-mark  on  the  letter  just  liandcd 
her  that  it  was  mailed  at  New  York  city,  from  which 
place  Fallington  was  not  many  miles  distant.  The  ad- 
dress was  in  a  strange  hand;  she  opened  the  letter;  the 
letter,  too,  was  in  a  strange  hand,  but  evidently  that  of 
some  intelligent  lady.  The  letter  was  a  long  one,  and 
she  immediately  turned  to  the  bottom  of  the  last  i>age  to 
see  the  name  of  the  writer ;  it  was  written  ^Mrs.  llellen 
Hartley.  It  was  a  name  she  had  no  recollection  of  whatever. 


98 


A   STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


"  Ilcllcn  Hartley  !  I  wonder  who  Ilcllcn  Hartley  is?  " 
said  Laura,  as  she  laid  the  letter  upon  the  table  and  pro- 
ceeded to  light  a  lamp. 

"  I  wish,"  said  Laura,  as  she  touched  a  match-blaze  to 
the  larap-wiek,  "that  some  of  these  Pennsylvania  oil 
wells  would  strike  something  nicer  than  this  outlandish 
kerosene,  or  they  would  find  some  way  to  get  the  musk 
out  of  it  I  I  prefer  geranium  myself.  What  a  world 
this  is ;  it  is  a  good  thing  that  trouble  doesn't  trouble  us 
any  more  than  it  does,"  added  Laura,  as  she  seated  her- 
self, and  taking  up  the  letter  from  Mrs.  Hartley,  she  read 
as  follows : 

"New  York  City,  Sejot  5,  1863. 
"  Miss  Laura  Sommers  :  • 
"  Niagara  Falls,  N.  Y. : 

'■'■Dear  Stranger — I  feel  it  is  my  duty  to  reveai  to  you 
something  about  Judge  Bailey  in  Fallington.  It  may  be 
important  to  your  happiness  for  life.  Bat  as  I  do  not 
wish  to  have  my  name  mixed  up  with  any  scandal,  I 
want  you  and  your  family  tr  consider  this  letter  confi- 
dential. I  venture  it  to  do  by  you  as  I  would  like 
another  to  do-  by  me. 

"  Last  July  I  made  a  visit  to  Mrs.  Judge  Bailey's  in 
Fallington.  It  happened  I  got  there  the  next  day  after 
you  left.  I  heard  the  family  speak  of  you  and  saw  your 
photograph. 

"I  had  been  there  about  two  weeks,  when,  one  e*^e- 
ning,  as  I  stood  by  the  window  reading  a  newspaper, 
Judge  Bailey  gave  me  a  gross  insult.  I  immediately  left 
the  room,  and  meeting  Mrs.  Bailey  informed  her  of  the 


A   STORY   OF   NIAGARA. 


99 


insult,  and  to  my  astonishment,  she  at  first  treated  the 
matter  lightly,  and  tlien  intimated  that  if  I  chose  to  bring 
scandal  upon  myself  by  catching  up  'such  little  matters,^ 
I  would  find  it  would  injure  no  one  but  myself;  that 
they  would  tell  as  much  against  me  as  I  dare  tell  against 
them,  and  that  I  would  find  that  they  would  swear  to  it, 
too,  to  defend  their  honor,  luhether  it  was  true  or  not,  so  if 
I  did  not  wish  to  injure  myself  I  had  better  keep  such 
matters  quiet.  I  then  went  to  my  room,  but  remember- 
ing that  the  adjoining  room  was  over  the  sitting-room, 
and  that  a  stove-pipe  came  through  the  floor,  I  went  there 
to  listen,  thinking  the  insult  gave  me  a  right  to  hear  what 
they  would  say  of  it 

"  I  will  now  write  you  part  of  what  I  heard.  '  Well, 
if  she  makes  a  fuss  about  it,'  said  Mr.  Bailey,  'you  and 
Jerusha  must  swear  me  clear.  You  remember  what  our 
lawyer  said  I  need  only  prove.  No  matter  whether  it  is 
true  or  not,  evidence  is  evidence  I  If  I  can  make  out 
she  was  to  blame,  of  course  it  will  be  nothing  to  her 
credit.  Tell  her  then,  boldly,  that  you  and  Jerusha  will 
swear  her  into  trouble  if  she  is  mean  enough  to  get  us 
into  trouble.'  '  I  suppose  she  meant  Jerusha  Vroman. 
Only  think !  and  she  seemed  to  be  such  a  conscientious 
girl.  Only  think  I  he  abuse  me,  and  then  defend  him- 
self by  slandering  me  I 

"But  pretty  soon  they  got  to  talking  on  what  may 
concern  you.  I  overheard  Mrs.  Bailey  say,  'Jared,  I 
wish  David  was  married  to  Laura  Sommcrs  before  you 
disgrace  us  all.  This  is  not  the  only  time,  Jared,  that 
you've  acted  like  an  insane  man,  and  2>i'oniised  it  should 


'M 


i' 


100 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGAKA. 


bo  the  last!  Who  knows  but  Benjamin  Bailey  knew 
Adeline's  voice  wlien  you  abused  her  in  the  hall  the 
time  he  handed  you  the  letter?  Suppose  Adeline  should 
ever  get  siek,  and  light-headed,  or  talk  in  her  sleep  about 
that,  or  the  way  we  got  our  property?'  Then  the  next 
thing  I  heard  was  Mr.  Bailey  saying,  'As  for  Mrs.  Hart- 
ley, [that's  my  name,]  her  father  expects  all  his  children 
to  have  some  of  my  property,  so  there  is  no  danger  of 
his  listening  to  anything  against  me,  even  if  he  knew  it 
were  true.  But  I'll  promise  to  will  Mrs.  Hartley  the 
Hill  house  and  lot  if  she'll  stand  by  us.'  'No,  you  can't 
do  that,' said  Mrs.  Bailey,  'for  you've  promised  that  to 
Jerusha.'  'Of  course  I  did,'  said  he,  'and  Jerusha  will 
get  it ;  that  is,  if  she  does  exactly  as  I  wish  her  to  do, 
and  I  don't  change  my  mind.  But  if  I  need  her  and 
Adeline  to  contradict  anything,  they  must  be  on  hand. 
They  talk  about  conscience  I  What's  the  use  of  talking 
about  conscience  when  a  thing  has  got  to  he  done  ?  Fve 
had  to  promise  to  will  the  same  property  to  a  dozen  dif- 
ferent ones  in  the  course  of  a  few  years  I  But  I  had  to 
do  itP  'Well,  no  matter,'  said  Mrs.  Bailey,  'they  will 
not  know  who  gets  it  till  after  we  are  dead  and  gone,  and 
they  will  not  bark  much  after  it  is  too  late  to  do  us  any 
hurt  or  themselves  any  good.' 

"  They  went  on  in  this  way  sometime.  Finally  I  heard 
Jared  Bailey  say,  'David  shall  not  have  that  Henriette 
Smith,  and  if  she  sues  him  for  breach  of  promise  we 
must  swear  him  out  of  it!'  'No,'  said  his  wife,  'I  will 
not  swear  to  what  is  not  so,  except  to  save  ourselves  or  the 
property ;  not  for  any  little  thing.     And  we  don't  know 


A    STOKY    OF    N  I  AG  A  11  A. 


101 


as  Laura  Sommera  would  liavc  David;  and  David  says 
all  ho  would  have  her  for  is  her  property!'  'Well, 
that's  enough,'  said  Jared  Bailey,  'and  wo  don't  want 
any  sueh  poor  trash  in  the  family  as  Ilenriette  Smith. 
Of  course  she'll  feel  bad — ^good  girl  enough — but  she 
is  not  used  to  such  society  as  we  keep.' 

"But,  Miss  Sommers,  I've  written  enough  to  warn  you 
what  they  are.  If  you  doubt  what  I  say,  perhaps  you 
can  find  oul.  something  from  Adeline  Wilderman  or  oth- 
ers there  near  them. 

"  Very  truly  yours, 

"  Mrs.  IIellen  Hartley." 


p  ] 


CHAPTER  X. 


''I 


Laura  urges  Lcttora  of  Inquiry— Letter  to  Adeline— Mysterious  Things— How  and 
why  Cunceulcd— Judge  Bailey— More  about  the  Will  Fraud. 

"My  stars!"  exclaimed  Laura  Sommers,  in  surprise, 
as  she  finished  reading  the  letter  from  Mrs.  Ilellen  Hartley, 
which  closed  the  last  chapter,  "if  they  are  such  folks  as 
that,  there  is  not  a  word  of  truth  in  what  they  told  me — 
about  Benjamin ;  and  it  is  a  credit  to  him  and  his  folks 
that  they  do  not  visit  there!  Why,  how  I  must  have 
hurt  his  feelings,  and  how  unreasonable  he  must  have 
thought  us  not  to  let  him  even  have  a  chance  to  defend 
himself!  David  Bailey  1  I  would  not  marry  him  if  he 
were  a  statue  of  gold  I  To  say  the  best,  he  is  only  a 
smart  simpleton ;  his  want  of  good  sense  has  been  ren- 
dered the  more  ridiculous  by  a  little  education !  And  if 
that  were  not  so,  I  don't  like  the  expression  of  his  face. 
I  would  rather  marry  Col.  Le  Grange,  and  have  him  go 
right  off  to  the  army  and  get  shot — so  far  as  /would  be 
concerned — though,  of  course,  I  don't  wish  him  any  harm.'''' 

"  I'll  go  and  hand  this  letter  to  mother,  and  see  what 
she  thinks  of  it.  And  then  I'll  hand  it  to  father  and  see 
what  he  thinks  of  it.  Why !  I  can  hardly  believe  my 
eyes." 

When  Laura  reached  the  sitting-room  she  found  her 


A    STOHV    OF    N  I  AG  All  A. 


103 


failicr  and  mother  alone;  and  liolding  the  letter  in  her 
hand  as  she  advanced  toward  thcni,  she  said: 

*'  Here,  father  and  mother,  is  a  remarkable  letter,  which 
makc-^  thincps  look  to  mc  as  if  wo  have  all  been  deceived 
by  Judge  Bailey — and  by  Mra  Bailey,  too,  instead  of 
mother  and  I  having  been  deceived  in  our  good  opinion  of 
Benjamin  Bailey  when  we  were  visiting  in  Fallington." 

Deacon  Sommcrs  gave  a  puzzled  look  over  his  specta- 
cles, toward  Laura  and  the  letter,  and  the  next  moment 
he  said,  "let  me  read  it,  daughter." 

"  Who  is  it  from  V  "  asked  her  mother. 

"It  is  from  an  entire  stranger  to  mc — but  some  ac- 
quaintance, it  appears,  of  Judge  Bailey's  family,"  replied 
Laura,  handing  the  letter  to  her  father,  "  and  my  stars  I 
you  will  not  believe  your  own  senses  when  you  read  it" 

Deacon  Sommers  laid  aside  his  newspaper.  The  hun- 
dreds of  soldiers  which  had  been  killed  in  late  battles 
were  for  a  moment  forgotten.  Two  of  '.  \s  own  sons  who 
liad  just  enlisted,  but  who  had  not  yet  been  ordered  to 
the  front,  were  also  out  of  mind ;  and  Laura's  matrimo- 
nial affairs  now  claimed  the  moment's  attention. 

Everybody  had  begun  to  look  upon  the  sufferings  and 
upon  the  dangers  of  the  war  as  something  that  could  not 
be  averted.  The  horrors  of  actual  warfare  made  less 
excitement  now  than  the  first  gun  at  Fort  Sumter.  And 
a  hundred  soldiers  now  killed  in  battle  took  less  hold  on 
the  public  feeling  than  the  first  soldier  killed  in  the  Mas- 
sacliusetts  Sixth  Kegiment,  at  the  Baltimore  railroad 
depot  in  1861,  while  on  their  way  to  the  defense  of 
Washington. 


m 


■  I 


il:    !y 


m 


104 


A    STORY    OF   NIAGARA. 


Such  is  liumfin  nature.  Tlic  soldier  himself,  though 
lie  shudder  in  the  first  moments  of  battle,  he  soon  h)oks 
on  and  lights  on  in  the  midst  of  blood,  carnage  and  death, 
without  fear  or  falter  I  So  the  public,  too,  had  come  to 
l':)ok  to  matters  of  civil  life,  and  forget,  at  times,  the  hor- 
rible state  of  internecine  War.  So  it  was  that  Deacon 
Sommers  laid  aside  even  the  news  from  the  armies  in  the 
South,  to  read  a  letter  that  told  of  Laura's  lover. 

Deacon  Sommers  read  the  letter  deliberately  and  aloud. 
Mrs.  Sommers  listened  with  eager  interest.  Both  were 
surprised  at  the  contents.  Mrs.  Sommers  expressed  her 
opinion  that  Judge  Bailey  was  a  mean  man,  and  she 
guessed  her  first  impressions  would  turn  out  to  be  cor- 
rect, after  all. 

"  Don't  be  too  fast,  wife,"  interrupted  Deacon  Sommers, 
"  what  do  we  know  about  this  Mrs.  Hellen  Hartley  ? 
And,  besides  that,  she  does  not  contradict  a  single  thing 
that  is  said  against  Benjamin  Bailey." 

"Father,"  said  Laura,  "doesn't  that  letter  show  that 
Judge  Bailey  is  mean  enough  to  tell  what  is  not  true?" 

"And  doesn't  it  show,"  added  Mrs.  Sommers,  "that 
his  object  was  to  help  David  get  Laura  for  a  wife?" 

"  But,"  replied  Deacon  Sommers,  "  it  appears  David  has 
made  no  den  onstrations  to  support  that  suspicion ;  and 
even  if  he  had,  is  it  lii^ely  that  the  Judge  and  his  wife 
would  dare  state  wliat  they  could  not  prove,  and  what 
others  could  show  is  false  ?  It  does  seem  to  me  a  strange 
freak  that  a  sensible  girl,  like  Laura,  should  fall  in  love 
with  a  stranger,  like  Benjamin  Bailey,  when  she  has  offers 
among  acquaintances  like  Col.  Le  Grange  and 
Smith,  persons  of  wealth  and  standing." 


young 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


105 


"  Then  you  do  not  think,  futlicr,  tliat  it  is  best  to  notice 
this  Mrs.  Hartley's  letter,  do  you?"  asked  Laura,  with 
some  surprise. 

"  Why,  as  to  that,  if  I  had  good  reason  to  believe  that 
Benjamin  Bailey  is  a  young  man  of  good  mjorals,  good 
intelligence,  good  standing,  good  business  abilities,  and 
good  habits,  and  entertaining  good  orthodox  sentiments, 
and " 

"Why,  goodness  sakes  I  father,  there  is  not  anything 
else  good  that  can  be  added,"  interrupted  Laura,  in  a 
respectful,  but  thoughtful  manner. 

"And,"  resumed  the  Deacon,  "if  his  means  be  such  as 
we  would  think  desirable  for  one  like  Laura — who  has 
always  had  everything  she  wanted — why,  then,  I  should 
consider  it  important  to  inquire  into  the  matter ;  that  is, 
if  you  are  determined  not  to  be  happy  any  other  way." 

"As  to  his  means,  fother,  I  think  a  young  man  of  his 
good  habits,  with  the  good  sense  he  has,  would  be  capa- 
ble of  taking  care  of  me,  and  also  help  me  to  take  care 
of  what  property  you,  my  dear  father,  are  intending  shall 
go  with  your  daughter." 

"But,  father,  I  icould  like  to  ask  of  you  one  favor. 
Will  you  write  to  Benjamin  and  gi ,  e  him  the  privilege 
to  explain  Judge  Bailey's  charges?" 

"  I  do  not  think  that  is  necessary ;  at  least,  not  till  we 
find  out  from  other  sources  that  Judge  Bailey's  state- 
ments are  not  reliable." 

"Well,  I  can  write,"  said  Laura,  "to  that  Adeline 
Wilderraan,  which  this  letter  refers  to,  and  perhaps  we 
shall  find  out  that  Judge  Bailey  is  a  worse  man  than  even 
5* 


'  n  i 


•^'^^m 


m 


106 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


!■!« 


I'Hh 


,.ijf«' 


i 


n 


Mrs.  Hartley  intimates.  And,  mother,  will  you  write  to 
Mrs.  Cummings,  and  tell  her  confidentially  about  this 
letter,  and  ask  her  to  write  you  what  she  can  find  against 
Judge  Bailey,  toy/ards  showing  that  Mrs.  Hartley's  letter 
is  true  in^all  it  says?  I  tell  you,  father,  that  Judge 
Bailey  does  not  seem  exactly  like  a  saint  to  me  since  I've 
got  my  suspicions  up  1 " 

Mrs.  Sommers  thought  it  might  be  well  enough  to 
make  some  investigation,  and  finally  Deacon  Sommers 
himself  said  he  would  make  some  inquiries  by  addressing 
the  minister  at  Fallington,  and  hoped  Laura  would  then 
be  satisfied. 

Deacon  Sommers  was  not  a  very  impulsive  man ;  and 
even  if  he  had  been,  it  is  not  likely  that  he,  with  man's 
characteristic  habit  of  looking  into  the  minute  points  of 
a  tangled  case,  and  pondering  out  a  conclusion  after  com- 
plicating the  difficulty  by  this  and  that,  or  some  other 
query — not  likely  he  would  have  come  to  so  quick  or 
positive  an  opinion  as  to  what  notice  he  ought  to  take  of 
Mrs.  Hartley's  remarkable  letter,  as  his  daughter  did; 
for,  Laura,  with  woman's  quick  decision,  dispatched  a 
letter  of  inquiiy  early  the  next  morning  to  Adeline  Wil- 
uerman. 

Five  days,  or  at  farthest  a  week,  she  considered  suffi- 
cient time  to  get  a  reply,  but  more  than  two  weeks  passed 
and  no  reply  came.  Had  she  offended  Adeline  Wilder- 
man  by  writing  as  a  stranger  should  not  ?  She  had  writ- 
ten that  Judge  Bailey  had  informed  her  father  of  some 
things  which  it  was  important  that  her  father  should 
know  positively  if  they  were  true.     Would  she  be  kind 


A    STOKY     .F    NIAGARA. 


107 


enough  to  write  a  reply,  and  let  her  know  whctlicr  the 
Bailey  family  in  Fallington  village  could  be  relied  on  in 
all  they  said  against  the  Baileys  who  lived  about  a  mile 
from  the  village.  "We  have  reeeived,"  wrote  Laura, 
"some  startling  information  against  Judge  Bailey.  Do 
you  know  how  he  obtained  so  much  property  ?  I  have 
just  received  a  letter  from  a  lady  stranger,  who  tells  me 
you  know  something  of  his  private  character,  and  as  you 
had  been  badly  abused  by  him,  you  might  write  me  some 
particulars,  as  it  is  important  to  me  to  know  whether  his 
statements  can  be  relied  on ! " 

It  may  be,  reflected  Laura,  as  she  thought  over  these 
and  other  things  she  had  written — it  may  be  that  this 
Adeline,  though  she  has  been  abused,  may  have  some 
reasons — some  interest  in  saying  nothing  against  Mrs. 
Judge  Bailey's  family ;  or  it  may  be — for  it  has  certainly 
been  long  enough  for  me  to  have  a  reply — I  was  not  care- 
ful enough  in  what  I  wrote,  to  avoid  casting  any  reflec- 
tions against  her  in  supposing  her  to  have  so  much 
knowledge  of  such  a  man's  secret  history.  It  does  seem, 
said  Laura,  to  herself,  that  some  things,  however  inno- 
cently intended,  and  no  matter  how  necessary  to  inquire 
about,  cannot  be  spoken  of  even  to  innocent  parties,  with- 
out giving  them  oft'ense ;  but  I  cannot  help  it;  it  is  right 
I  should  know,  and  wrong  somewhere  if  I  am  deceived. 
And  how  shall  I  know  whom  to  believe,  if  I  must  make 
no  inquiries  ? 

Mrs.  Sommers  now  wrote  her  cousin,  Gertrude  Cum- 
mings,  some  inquiries;  and  Deacon  Sommers  wrote  to 
the  Presbyterian  minister  at  Fallington. 


Viv 


3 


108 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


f 


'■■■ 


1^  <i 


U 


f 


It  would  seem  that  tlie  marriage  of  one's  daughter — a 
matter  -which  might  effect  the  happiness  or  misery  of  her 
life-time — ought  to  have  suggested  that  Mr.  Sommers  go 
himself  to  Fallington,  especially  when  there  did  appear 
cause  for  doubt,  and  learn,  if  possible,  from  personal 
interviews,  the  truth  of  matters.  But  such  a  course  had 
not  yet  suggested  itself. 

The  idea  of  any  deep-laid  plot  to  deceive  them,  such 
as  novel  writers  invent,  of  course  was  not  going  to  affect 
their  family.  What  they  would  be  told  by  Mrs.  Cum- 
mings  and  the  minister  would  be  true,  of  course !  And 
the  idea  of  Judge  Bailey  and  his  wife  both  attempting  to 
deceive  Mrs.  Cummings  and  the  minister  by  some  indi- 
rect method  in  order  to  deceive  others,  through  them,  was 
not  likely  to  be  suspected. 

Two  days  after  Laura  Sommers  had  written  her  letter 
Adeline  Wilderman  was  reading  it.  Poor  Adeline — poor 
woman  !  But  I  cannot  in  this  volume  take  room  to  give 
you  the  particulars  of  her  life;  you  shall,  however,  be 
able  to  infer  that  if  ever  woman  had  struggled  to  cover 
up  the  faults,  and  even  the  crimes  of  a  man  once  her 
guardian,  lest  his  exposure  would  render  another  unhappy 
whom  she  tried  to  think  had  treated  her  like  a  mother, 
and  perhaps  even  drag  Adeline  herself  into  the  general 
disgrace  which  might  come  about  by  the  blunders  of 
guessing  gossipers  and  erroneous  suspicion — that  woman 
was  Adeline  Wilderman.  She  had  seen  trouble  enough  ! 
It  was  natural  that  she  should  shun  the  appearance  of 
more.  Ilenee  the  hasty  dispatch  of  Laura's  letter,  together 
with  the  neglect  of  Deacon  Sommers  in  writing,  were 


m 


A   STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


109 


unfortunate  circumstances.  The  former  became  tlie  cause 
of  giving  Judge  Bailey  notice  of  impending  trouble ;  the 
latter  afforded  him  time  to  plan  a  concealment  of  facts ; 
and  for  a  time  a  successful  game  of  bold,  deep  and  mean 
deception  it  was. 

For  his  success,  however,  he  was  mainly  indebted  to 
liis  wife  and  Jerusha  Vroman.  They  suggested  the  plan, 
and  the  three  carried  it  out.  One  or  two  of  Mrs.  Hart- 
ley's own  relatives  were  immediately  bribed,  and  other- 
wise influenced  to  say  with  apparently  serious  regret,  that 
Mrs.  Hartley  was  a  strange  looman  ;  that  her  story  against 
Judge  Bailey  really  belonged  to  another  family,  and  that 
she  had  applied  it  to  Judge  Bailey's  family  out  of  spite. 
This  explanation  seemed  plausible,  and  partly  with  this 
success  they  succeeded  in  silencing  and  perhaps  deceiving 
Mrs.  Cummings  and  the  minister's  family.  In  this  and 
other  ways  they  not  only  covered  up  the  facts,  but 
injured  Mrs.  Hartley's  reputation,  for  making  any  com- 
plaint about  the  abuse  she  had  received  from  Judge 
Bailey,  and  for  disclosing  what  she  had  overheard. 

It  may  be  that  Judge  Bailey's  conscience  rei)roved  him 
for  slandering  one  he  had  provoked  to  speak  the  trutl: ; 
but  had  he  not  the  heart  years  before  to  sacrifice  poor 
Eleanor  Grace !  and  had  he  not  continued  to  hold  a  hard 
hand  over  Adeline's  fears  ? 

Adeline's  experience,  or  rather  her  broken  spirits,  had 
prepared  her  to  silently  "endure  what  she  could  not 
cure."  She  did  not,  therefore,  deem  it  advisable  for  her 
to  disclose  anything  in  reply  to  Laura's  letter. 

Sometimes  she  had  thought  it  to  be  her  duty  to  expose 


110 


A    STOllY    OF    NIAGARA. 


>j.  ' 


wrong — to  tell  what  she  knew.  But  slie  was  almost  help- 
less and  friendless;  and  though  she  had  been  cruelly 
wronged  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jured  Bailey,  it  would,  she 
thought,  only  make  the  matter  worse  to  turn  even  their 
selfish  friendship  into  desperate  anger  against  her.  Often 
had  she  thought  over  the  time  when  she  lived  in  their 
family;  how  she  had  concealed  what  she  knew  of  his 
procuring  a  fraudulent  will  from  a  dying  man,  and  how 
she  had  been  induced  to  sign  the  will  as  a  witness. 

Some  twelve  years  prior  to  the  time  of  the  will-fraud, 
and  when  Adeline  was  seven  years  of  age,  Jared  Bailey 
and  his  wife  took  little  Adeline  into  their  family,  pledging 
her  dying  mother — and  that  mother  a  widowed  sister  of 
Mrs.  Bailey — that  they  would  care  for  her  child  as  for 
their  own  daughter.  And  yet  all  the  trouble  she  has 
ever  known  has  been  caused  by  being  too  true  to  those 
who  made  and  broke  that  promise. 

It  is  now  nearly  twenty  years  since  she  left  the  rich 
Jared  Bailey's  house  and  learned  the  trade  of  a  dress- 
maker, that  she  might  be  independent  of  him.  It  was 
her  intention  then  to  expose  the  will-fraud  and  the  defen- 
sive falsehoods  of  Jared  Bailey  and  wife  against  poor 
Eleanor  Grace,  who  had  spoken  the  truth.  But  her  reso- 
lution, had  it  been  carried  out,  came  too  late  to  have 
benefited  Eleanor.  She  had  mysteriously  disappeared! 
And  Adeline,  by  fear  and  favor,  was  finally  influenced 
to  a  silence  not  yet  broken. 

Jared  Bailey's  successful  attempt  to  defraud  his  rela- 
tives, (successful  unless  the  bitter  end  was  to  come,)  and 
the  heartless  means  by  which  he  had  sacrificed  Eleanor, 


A   STORY    OF   NIAGARA. 


Ill 


and  silenced  Adeline,  were  not  the  only  private  acts  of  a 
similar  character  which  he  was  guilty  of.  But  blunder- 
ing gossip  knew  so  little  of  any  facts  against  him  that 
when  it  made  its  blundering  reports,  dependent  friends 
pretended  not  to  believe  it,  and  said  in  ridicule  of  gossip, 
"people  will  talk,  you  know  I " 

It  was  strange  how  Jared  Bailey  had  got  on  so  well  as 
he  had  in  the  general,  seeming  favor  of  society.  It  was, 
however,  probably  owing  to  two  causes ;  he  was  rich  and 
cunning.  But,  then,  he  was  vain  and  haughty,  and  tyran- 
nical when  his  selfish  desires  were  opposed ;  and  he  was 
illiberal  except  that  his  selfish  and  passionate  love  of 
female  society  led  him  to  many  acts  of  apparent  gener- 
osity and  kindness.  He  was  one  of  those  men  who 
would  shed  tears  over  the  sufferings  of  a  beautiful  lady 
stranger,  sooner  than  give  a  dime  to  the  starving  children 
of  a  washer-woman.  And  so  long  as  any  young  lady 
made  her  diamonds  glitter  in  his  house,  and  also  flattered 
his  vanity  by  even  virtuous  coquetry,  so  long  he  counted 
her  board  and  trouble  nothing,  and  his  carriage  or  his 
saddle-horse  was  at  her  service  and  he  her  humble 
servant. 


CHAPTER  XI 

Friglitcncd  nt  last— A  Fit— Deeper  Injury  planned  against  the  Innocent— Adeline's 
Silence— Kcv.  Mr.  Smoothwell— David  Bailey  "proposes"  by  Letter  to  Laura 
Bommcrs. 

With  the  knowledge  which  Adeline  possessed  of  Jared 
Bailey,  and  of  the  course  which  had  been  taken  to  cover 
up  his  crimes,  she  was  prepared  to  put  the  worst  construc- 
tion possible  upon  the  vague  allusions  in  Laura's  letter. 
"  Perhaps,"  thought  she,  "  that  unprincipled  Mr.  Figsley 
from  Canada,  who  made  out  the  papers  when  that  poor, 
sick  man  signed  the  wills  in  Mr.  Bailey's  house,  has  said 
something — has  exposed  how  it  was  about  the  two  wills ! 
My  soul  on  me !  what  if  there  sliould  be  trouble,  and  I 
brought  up  as  a  witness,  and  then  if  I  swore  to  the  truth 
John  Vroman  and  that  Figsley  would  swear  that  I  had 
committed  perjury,  as  Mr.  Bailey  says  they  would  all 
have  to  do  in  self-defense,  and  put  me  in  prison! "  Ade- 
line's imagination  was  thus  busily  at  work  with  unpleas- 
ant forebodings  when  she  heard  a  knock  at  the  door. 

She  answered  the  call;  and  Mrs.  Judge  Bailey,  fol- 
lowed by  her  husband,  entered  the  room.  The  usual 
formalities  followed.  Mrs.  Bailey  put  on  a  little  more 
than  her  usually  smooth  and  friendly  manner.  After  a 
little  preliminary  conversation  Adeline  was  about  to  speak 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


113 


of  the  letter  which  she  had  just  recoivcd,  but  the  Judge 
announced  his  errand  first. 

"Adeline,"  he  said,  "you  know  what  my  motto  is — 
when  a  thing  has  got  to  be  done,  or  has  been  done,  there 
is  no  use  to  talk  about  conscience.  What  is  conscience, 
any  way?  Our  consciences  depend  on  our  judgment, 
education,  etc.  We  cannot  always  tell  by  conscience 
what  it  is  best  to  do.  Why,  the  preachers  this  moment, 
in  the  South,  are  all  praying  for  one  side  of  this  war, 
while  the  preachers  in  the  North  are  praying  for  the  other 
side.  One  side  for  slavery,  which  is  a  devilish  sight  worse 
robbery  than  the  will  matters  you  so  often  refer  to." 

"Mr.  Bailey,"  said  Adeline,  "you  call  selfishness  con- 
science ;  and  you  argue  in  favor  of  doing  wrong  on  pur- 
pose, because  we  do  wrong  sometimes  ignorantly.  That 
is  your  way — not  mine." 

"  Well,  Adeline,"  said  Mrs.  Bailey,"  "there  is  one  thing 
you  and  I  both  believe  in — friends  must  hang  together." 

"Yes,"  interrupted  Adeline,  as  her  eyes  flashed  toward 
Judge  Bailey,  "  for  if  they  did  not  hang  together,  some 
one,  almost,  would  hang  alone !  or  get  some  other  pun- 
ishment ! " 

But  Judge  Bailey  never  appropriated  a  rebuke  which 
he  could  possibly  think  might  mean  others  instead  of 
himself  He  knew  that  Mrs.  Bailey  and  Adeline  did  not 
dare  to  expose  him  under  any  circumstances ;  and  to  any 
rebuke  from  them  he  usually  replied,  "the  least  said  the 
better,"  and  this  with  a  smile  that  always  reminded  Ade- 
line of  that  often  quoted  line — 

"A  man  may  smile  iind  smile  and  be  a  villain." 


114 


A    STORY   OP   NIAGARA. 


For  the  opinion  or  tlie  feelings  of  those  whom  he  had 
wronged,  but  whom  he  knew  would  not  expose  him,  lie 
cared  nothing;  and  yet  he  cared  as  much  as  he  could 
care ;  it  was  not  in  his  nature  to  care,  and  Mrs.  Bailey 
pitied  him  !  She  loved  him.  And  she  had  been  known 
to  say  respecting  him  and  Miss  Vroman,  "let  them  who 
are  without  sin  cast  the  first  stone,"  and  "  let  us  forgive 
as  we  hope  to  be  forgiven  1 " 

"We  have  come  here,"  said  the  Judge  to  Adeline,  "to 
ask  a  favor  of  you ;  for,  you  know  we  have  been  doing 
you  favors  almost  all  your  life  time." 

"Jared  Bailey!"  said  Adeline,  with  a  wild  stare,  "I 
am  in  no  mood  to  listen  to  your  deliberate  impudence ; 
and.  before  I  die  you  may  fear  me  as  I  have  feared  you  1 " 

"Hush,  hush,  now,  dear  Adeline,"  interrupted.  Mrs. 
Bailey,  "  do  be  quiet,  now  1  Don't  expose  anything  for 
my  sake,  and  your  own,  too.  You  know,  Adeline,  that 
Mr.  Bailey  can  secure  all  the  witnesses,  and.  you  none ; 
and  now  don't,  for  your  sake  and.  mine,  too  I  I  don't 
approve  of  it,  but  how  can  I  help  myself?  " 

"  Why,  then,"  returned  Adeline,  angrily,  "  does  he 
taunt  me  about  favors — as  if  he  could  make  me  forget 
the  injuries  he  has  done  me  1  Did  he  not  defraud  me  of 
the  two  thousand  dollars  which  was  in  the  real  will  which 
that  poor,  dying  man  thought  he  was  signing  ?  " 

"And  haven't  we,"  interrupted  Mrs.  Jared  Bailey, 
"  paid  you  more  than  Mortimer  Bailey  promised  you  ?  " 

"And  haven't  you  extorted  money  enough  out  of  me, 
added  Judge  Bailey,  "  for  a  little  affair,  lately,  which  you 
called  a  thousand  times  worse  than  it  was  ?  and  haven't 


A    STOUV    OF    NIAGARA. 


115 


I  for  more  than  twenty  years  paid  you  the  interest  on 
tliat  '  two  tlioiisand  dollarH '  ?  " 

"But  wliere  is  the  principal?"  said  Adeline,  "and 
what  reliance  can  I  place  in  the  future  on  a  man  like  you, 
who  destroyed  poor  Eleanor  Grace  by  falsehood,  which 
rohbcd  her  of  a  young  man  who  would  have  made  her  a 
kind  and  worthy  husband?  you  who* drove  me  into  sign- 
ing a  false  will  as  a  witness,  and  ever  since  have  fright- 
ened me  into  this  long  silence,  by  saying  the  act  made 
mc  as  guilty  as  the  rest  of  you.  If  I  am  a  criminal,  you 
have  made  me  such,  through  fear  and  ignorance  of  laws ; 
while  it  has  made  you  rich  and  me  wretched  I "  And, 
then  turning  to  Mrs.  Bailey,  she  added,  "and  to  frighten 
me  into  silence  about  that  insane  assault,  did  he  not  bribe 
Jerusha  Vroman  to  tell  me,  after  all  I  did  for  her,  that 
she  would  swear  to  things — true  or  false — to  defend  him ; 
and  didn't  you  intimate  the  same  ?  " 

"Why,  Adeline!"  said  Mrs.  Bailey,  "you  don't — you 
can't  blame  us !     What  else  could  we  do  ?  " 

"Adeline,"  said  Judge  Bailey,  "you  act  like — purga- 
tory !    What's  up  worse  than  usual  ?  " 

"  This  is  what's  up  for  you,"  Adeline  replied,  produc- 
ing the  letter  from  Laura  Soramers.  "  You  can  read  it 
for  yourself,  Mr.  Bailey.      You  are  already  exposed  1''^ 

"Good  Lord!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Bailey;  and  Judge 
Bailey  reached  out  his  trembling  hand  for  the  letter ;  and 
when  he  had  read  only  a  pare  of  it  his  guilty  conscience 
forced  him  to  fear  the  worst.  Mrs.  Bailey  noticed  that 
he  turned  pale,  and  she  stepped  to  his  chair.  The  next 
instant  the  letter  dropped  from  his  hand ;  he  uttered  a 


i   t ' 


% 


116 


A    STOUY    OF    NIAGAKA. 


groun ;  Mrs.  Builey  suppoitnu  him  in  the  chtair,  and  criod 
out: 

"  O,  Adeline !  he  is  dying  I  he  is  dying  I  get  the  cam- 
phor. O,  my  dear  liusband,  what's  the  good  of  all  our 
property,  now  ?     O,  what  t^hall  we  do  I " 

As  Adeline  was  hunting  up  the  camphor  bottle,  she 
muttered,  "I'm  afraid  it's  only  a  lit — of  his  conscience! 
But  if  it  be  the  apoplexy — it's  awful  for  such  a  man  to 
die — such  a  hypocrite  as  he  has  been.  The  Lord's  will 
be  done,  though  I  only  I  hope  he  won't  die  here  I " 

"  Do  find  the  camphor,  Adeline  I " 

"  Yes,  here  it  is ;"  and  then  she  applied  the  resuscitat- 
ing remedy  to  his  nose  and  head,  and  chimed  in  with 
Mrs.  Bailey: 

"  0,  what  shall  we  do !  what  shall  we  do !  if  he  dies 
here,"  said  Adeline. 

In  a  few  moments,  however,  he  began  to  revive,  and 
was  soon  so  far  restored  that  by  the  assistance  of  Adeline 
and  Mrs.  Bailey  he  walked  home. 

The  next  day  Mrs.  Judge  Bailey  sent  for  Adeline, 
requesting  her  to  bring  the  letter  with  her.  Adeline 
went  The  letter  which  Judge  Bailey  had  not  finished 
reading  the  evening  previous  was  now  read,  and  read 
again ;  but  after  considerable  discussion  he  decided  that 
it  was  very  vague  in  its  meaning ;  especially  about  the 
property.  It  was  decided,  however,  that  Mrs.  Hellen 
Hartley's  statements  must  be  put  down. 

Adeline  was  again  threatened  and  promised.  If  she 
stood  by  them  she  would  have  five  thousand  dollars 
willed  to  her ;  and  when  she  needed  anything  it  should 


A    STORY    OP    NiAdARA. 


117 


1)C  got  for  licr.     And  if  slie  did  not  defend  tiieni  they 
would  all  have  to  turn  against  her  and  give  lier  notliingi 

Adeline  was  oneo  more  persuaded — and  frightened — 
and  she  promised  that  she  would  diselose  nothing  I  "  IJut," 
said  she,  "I  tell  you,  Mr.  Bailey,  and  mark  what  I  say, 
'' ijonr  sin  ivillfind  you  out!^  " 

"That  may  be,"  said  Judge  Bailey,  "but,  Adeline,  we 
cannot  help  the  past,  and  we  must  fmish  up  what  we  have 
on  hand.  You  know  that  John  Vroinan  still  lives  at 
Niagara  Falls.  Of  course  I  don't  fear  him.  But,  that 
Figsley,  on  the  Canada  side ;  it  costs  me  a  good  deal 
every  year  to  keep  liim  still.  Now,  here  fomes  up  Ben- 
jamin Bailey,  attempting  to  make  the  aeijuaintancc  of 
the  daughter  of  William  Sommers.  Should  he  succeed 
in  his  object,  he  would,  of  course,  fint.liy  become  ac- 
quainted with  Mrs.  Hartley's  letter,  and  tiuit  allusion  to 
the  property  might  revive,  in  fact  it  would  be  sure  to 
revive  the  old  suspicions — and  suspicions  might  start 
in(|uiry — then  if  Deacon  Sommers  should  join  with  Ben- 
jamin against  us  he  might  supply  means ;  and  Figsley 
has  got  to  be  just  dishonorable  enough  to  turn  against  us! 
lie  makes  a  great  many  threats  lately,  and  even  keeps  up 
the  old  matter  about  Eleanor  Grace — pretends  he  didn't 
want  things  carried  so  far — that  there  was  enough  of  us  to 
cover  up  the  facts  and  her  statements,  too,  without  turn- 
ing her  out  doors  just  for  being  off  her  guard  and  telling 
tlic  truth  I  He  says  if  we  hadn't  turned  her  out  doors 
she  would  have  finally  consented  to  be  Mrs.  Figsley ;  and 
every  time  he  gets  in  a  rage  he  threatens  that  Eleanor 
shall  have  vengeance  on  me  yet,  and  that  her  mysterious 


v.  '1 


118 


A   STORY    OF   NIAGARA. 


disappearance  will  come  to  light  yet,  as  well  as  papers 
enough  to  defend  her  character;  and  all  this,  when  at 
first,  you  know  Figsley  tried  to  put  down  her  statements 
himself!  He's  a  treacherous  viUain,^^  said  the  innocent  Mr. 
Jared  Bailey,  with  as  much  assurance  as  if  it  indicated 
some  virtue  in  himself  to  denounce  the  now  dissipa  ,  d 
and  disreputable  Figsley !  "But,"  he  added,  partly  witli 
a  view  to  keep  Adeline  intimidated  to  silence,  "we  are 
all  in  the  treacherous  villain's  power,  for  I've  no  doubt 
he  was  just  cautious  enough  to  save  as  many  letters  and 
papers  as  he  needed  to  injure  us  with." 

"So  it  won't  answer  to  have  Deacon  Sommers  turn 
against  us.  And  there  is  cmly  one  safe  course  for  us  all 
to  take.  We  must  at  all  hazards  prevent  Benjamin  from 
having  any  communication  with  that  family.  If  neces- 
sary, Jerusha  must  write  Mrs.  Sommers  that  she  is  the 
young  lady  whom  we  have  said  Benjamin  treated  so 
shamefully.  Then  I  must  get  some  of  Mrs.  Hartley's 
friends  to  put  discredit  on  what  she  wrote.  The  other 
thi-'.g  to  be  done  is  to  have  Deacon  Sommers  interested 
in  our  favor  by  our  bringing  about  David's  marriage 
instead  of  Benjamin's  with  Laura  Sommers.  You  know, 
Adeline,  Mrs.  Bailey  and  Jerusha  and  myself  have  already 
managed  to  break  off  all  correspondence  between  Benja- 
min and  the  Sommers  family;  though  I  confess  there 
isn't  much  prospect  of  David's  success  in  the  place  of  it." 

"Mr.  Bailey,"  interrupted  Adeline,  "I  sliall  have  noth- 
ing to  do  with  the  matter ;  nor  do  I  know  anvthingf  against 
Benjamin  Bailey." 

"  Have  I  not  told  you  that  Benjamin  is  no  friend  of 


vours?" 


said  Mrs.  Bailov. 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


119 


"And  haven't  I  told  yon,"  said  Judge  Bailey,  with  a 
falsehood  on  his  tongue,  "how  he  talks  against  you  and 
Jeriisha?  About  that  little  difficulty  I  had  with  you  tlic 
evening  he  eaine  to  the  door  to  hand  me  the  letter,  and 
you  talked  so  loud — of  course  I've  acknowledged  to  you 
that  I  was  to  blame ." 

"And  at  the  same  time,"  interrupted  Adeline,  "you 
threatened  to  prove  by  Jerusha  Vroman  that  /  was  to 
blame ! " 

"Well,  no  matter,"  said  Mrs.  Bailey,  "he  was  generous 
enough  by  you  at  last ! " 

"  But  what  I  was  going  to  say,"  resumed  Judge  Bailey, 
"was  this:  Benjamin  Bailey,  at  the  time  I  talked  with 
him  in  his  library,  a  little  while  ago,  spoke  of  the  affair 
in  a  way  to  disgrace  you  as  well  as  me.  Now  my  plan  is, 
(if  we  find  it  necessary,)  to  represent  to  Mr.  Sommers 
that  Benjamin  on  that  evening  came  to  see  Jerusha,  and 
after  treating  her  in  a  very  dishonorable  way,  so  that  I 
afterwards  forbid  him  the  house,  he  got  up  that  story  to 
injure  us  all.  As  for  Mrs.  Hartley's  letter — Jerusha's 
I)lan  is  a  good  one — we  must  all  declare  she  told  us  the 
same  or  a  similar  story  about  one  of  her  best  friends 
in  New  York  city,  and  that  some  of  her  own  family  say 
she  is  half  crazy!" 

"Jerusha  can  tell  that  story  if  she  pleases,"  said  Ade- 
line, "but  I  can't,  and  I  won't!  The  worst  you  can  get 
mt  to  say  is,  to  say  nothing,  just  the  best  way  I  know 
liow!" 

Not  long  after  the  above  events  Mrs.  Cuniniings  called 
on  Adeline,  and  the  minister's  wife  called  on  Mrs.  Gum- 


s'; 


-ill 


•II 
.IP 


m 


^^'11 


tl 


-i  t 


:♦     ii^ 


*^     '^ 


I.I 


120 


A    STOKY    OF    NIAGARA. 


mings ;  and  Mrs.  Bailey  called  on  Mrs.  Cummings  and 
also  on  the  minister's  wife,  and  Jerusha  called  around 
also.  Deacon  Sommers  had  written  to  the  minister. 
Adeline  Wildcrman  liad  written  to  Laura  Sommers  a 
reply  which  amounted  to  nothing — precisely  what  she 
intended  it  should  amount  to.  Mrs.  Cummings'  reply  to 
Laura's  mother  amounted  to  this :  she  had  known  notli- 
ing  for  or  against  Benjamin  Bailey  till  within  the  last  two 
weeks ;  but  if  what  she  had  heard  a  certain  young  lady 
say  was  true,  he  must  be  a  fellow  without  honor  or  prin- 
ciple. All  slie  had  heard  Mrs.  Judge  Bailey  sa^^  was, 
that  she  felt  very  sorry  Benjamin  was  turning  out  so 
badly.  And  from  what  she  could  hear  from  Judge 
Bailey's  family  she  should  think  no  dependence  ought  to 
be  placed  on  Mrs.  Hartley's  letter." 
The  minister  replied  as  follows : 

"Fallington,  N.  Y., ,  1863. 

"To  William  Sommers,  Esq., 

"  Niagara  Falls,  N.  Y. : 
'■'■Dear  Sir — Youi's  of  the  7th  instant,  inquiring  confi- 
dentially about  Judge  Bailey's  present  standing,  etc.,  etc., 
was  received  a  few  days  since.  In  reply  I  must  say,  that 
I  know  nothing  positively  against  him.  He  claims  that 
the  stories  are  all  gotten  up  by  his  enemies.  The  rumors 
in  circulation  do  not,  so  far  as  I  have  learned,  gain  much 
credit.  Ilis  family  attend  church  pretty  regularly,  and 
go  in  the  very  best  society.  There  is  no  family  here  that 
does  more  to  sustain  the  church.  If  any  part  of  what  is 
talked  be  true,  it  is  probable  that  the  stories  are  greatly 
exaggerated.     Last  Sabbath  the  Judge  and  liis  wife  both 


A    STORY    OF   NIAGARA. 


121 


partook  of  the  Lord's  supper.  It  is  true,  however,  that 
the  Judge  himself  is  sehlom  seen  in  the  prayer  meeting, 
but  his  wife  and  Miss  Vroman  are  often  there,  and  Mrs. 
Bailey  appears  to  be  one  of  the  finest  ladies  I  ever  knew. 
My  wife  has  just  inquired  of  her  about  Mrs.  Hartley, 
and  Mrs.  Bailey  says  that  Mrs.  Ilartley  became  greatly 
enraged  because  they  did  not  like  to  associate  with  her, 
so  they  presume  that  what  she  wrote  your  daughter 
against  Mrs.  Bailey  was  made  up  out  of  a  New  York 
story,  which  she  told  Mrs.  Bailey  and  Jerusha  Vroman 
the  first  day  she  came  thei'e.     So  we  are  told. 

"  We  have  never  heard  any  stoxles  against  Benjamin 
Bailey,  except  that  we  have  just  heard  that  Mrs.  Bailey 
and  Jerusha  Vroman  speak  unfavorably  of  him,  but  do 
not  state  anything  in  particular. 

"  I  am,  Sir,  very  respectfully, 

"  Jonas  Smooth  well.  Pastor." 

Deacon  Sommcrs  was  not  as  well  satisfied  with  the 
result  of  all  their  inquiries,  after  having  received  the 
Ilartley  letter,  as  he  had  hoped  to  be ;  but  it  was  thought 
best  to  have  Laura  let  the  matter  rest 

Mrs.  Judge  Bailey  got  a  hint  of  what  Mrs.  Cummings 
had  written  in  their  favor,  and  Mrs.  Smoothwell  told  Mrs. 
Bailey  that  Mr.  Smoothwell  had  written  a  very  compli- 
mentary letter  for  them  to  a  gentleman  by  the  name  of 
William  Sommcrs,  living  at  Niagara  Falls.  On  hearing 
these  things  David  Bailey  took  it  into  his  head  without 
consulting  his  father,  to  write  a  letter  to  Laur-^  Conse- 
quently Miss  Sommcrs  was  one  day  favored  y  i  leiving 
the  following  letter: 


\i 


m 

W 

m 


m 

M 

i 


hi: 


122 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


"Fallington,  N.  Y., ,  18G3. 

"  To  Miss  Laura  Sommers  : 

'"'■Dear  Madam — Among  the  varied  and  numerous  inci- 
dents of  life,  there  is  one  subject  of  daily  occurrence,  and 
I  may  say,  as  it  were,  of  vast  and  thrilling  importance 
which  is  presented,  and  I  may  say  as  it  were,  daily  pre- 
sented for  our  consideration,  or  rather  for  the  considera- 
tion as  it  were,  of  both  sexes.  That  subject  is  the  subject 
of  matrimony,  and  after  considerable  reflection  and  expe- 
rience I  have  come  to  the  determination  to  offer  mv  hand 
and  heart  to  some  lady  whom  I  can  respect,  and  if  you 
are  willing  to  accept  the  position,  I  shall  be  happy  to  be 
informed  of  your  wishes  as  soon  as  you  can  determine  on 
so  important  a  step.  It  ir  presumed  by  me  that  from 
your  pronxpt  manner  of  action  and  your  decision  of  char- 
acter, as  well  as  from  your  knowledge  as  it  were  of 
circumstances,  that  you  will  be  able  to  decide  this  pro- 
posal within  thirty  daj^s  from  date,  as  I  have  agreed 
within  that  time  to  give  an  answer  to  another  lady. 
*'  Ver}-^  respectfully, 

"  Your  obedient  servant, 

"  David  Bailey. 

"P.  S.  If  3'OU  will  oblige  me  with  an  immediate 
answer,  I  would  make  you  a  visit  at  Niagara  Falls. 

"D.  B." 

This  letter  Laura  never  answered.  It  destroyed  wbat 
little  respect  slie  had  ever  entertained  for  David  liailey. 
She  pronounced  it  the  work  of  an  empty-headed  dandy, 
whose  education  had  done  him  no  good.     She  considered 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


123 


the  letter  a  ludicrous  curiosity ;  but  thought  when  taken 
in  connection  with  Mrs.  Hartley's  letter,  that  it  showed  at 
least  a  motive  for  what  had  been  said  against  Benjamin 
by  Judge  Bailey's  family. 

Laura  immediately  wrote  to  Mrs.  Judge  Bailey,  asking 
for  the  name  of  the  young  lady  whom  they  claimed  had 
been  so  shamefully  treated  by  Benjamin  Bailey,  and  to 
be  referred  to  any  others  who  knew  anything  against  him. 
Laura  also  wrote  that  a  direct  and  plain  answer  was 
important. 

It  is  probable  that  Judge  Bailey  concluded  that  this 
inquiry  had  something  to  do  with  the  consideration  of 
David's  letter.  He,  therefore,  directed  Mrs.  Bailey  to 
refer  Laura  and  her  mother  to  Miss  Jerusha  Vroman. 
Jerusha  also  wrote  a  short  note,  stating  that  she,  herself, 
was  the  person  whom  Benjamin  had  treated  as  Mrs.  Bailey 
had  informed  them,  but  she  did  not  think  it  necessary  to 
state  particulars.  This  note  was  inclosed  with  Mrs. 
Bailey's  letter  and  sent  to  Laura. 

When  Laura  received  the  answer  she  thought  it  strange 
that  no  reference  could  be  given  except  to  the  very  per- 
son whom  Mrs.  Hartley's  letter  had  already  cast  a  suspi- 
cion against.  Deacon  Sommers  thought  the  same,  and 
suggested  that  it  tended  to  show  that  Mrs.  Hartley's  letter 
might  all  be  true. 

Notwithstanding  David  had  received  no  reply  to  his 
letter,  he  made  a  visit  to  Deacon  Sommers  witliin  llie 
"  thirty  days,"  where  he  matle  even  a  worse  impression 
on  Deacon  Sommers  than  he  had  })reviously  made  on 
the  mind  of  Laura.     His  attempts  to  make  matters  pl.'iin 


» -'i 


1 

HI 

i 

H^n 

8 

ttt^MnH 

s 

^f^flifl 

i 

'^^hI 

I- 

>fU|l 

|ij 

raffiil 

1 

W^k 

(5 

^^m 

1^ 

WKm 

Wm 

1 

ffi 

1 

^u 

It 

^ffil 

*^i 

^fS^w 

1 

^1^ 

m 
m 

km 


Ml' 


! 


124 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


against  Benjamin  Bailey  were  so  closely  inquired  into 
that  lie  lost  his  courage,  and  tliat  confused  his  memory  so 
that  he  could  not  keep  his  equivocations  and  misstate- 
ments consistent  with  each  other,  nor  with  known  facts. 

It  was  quite  agreeable  to  all  Deacon  Sommers'  family 
when  he  abruptly  closed  his  visit  under  the  impression 
that  he  was  not  destined  to  be  the  husband  of  Laura 
Sommers. 

Judge  Bailey  and  his  family  began  to  fear  the  danger 
that  in  time  wrong  d'erloads  itself  I 


•   < 


.    i 


CHAPTER    XII. 

The  Detective  starts  for  Niagura— An  act  of  Politeness- Almost  a  Discovery— A 

Trick  of  Travel. 

"All  aboard!"  sounded  the  accustomed  voice  of  the 
railroad  conductor  at  Fallington  station — and  then  the 
passengers,  who  had  alighted  for  refreshments,  and  who 
had,  probably  nearly  all,  secured  their  right  change  for 
their  half-devoured  lunch,  were  hurrying  back  to  retake 
their  places  in  the  cars,  and  with  the  usual  caution  of 
travelers,  to  see  if  coats,  shawls,  parcels,  bandboxes  and 
other  hand-luggage,  were  still  in  possession  of  themselves 
and  the  seats  whereon  they  had  been  left  to  do  the  duty 
of  dumb  policemen ! 

There  was  also  the  usual  supply  of  additional  passen- 
gers, among  whom,  a  young  man,  a  little  below  the  aver- 
age height,  slim  in  proportion,  and  dressed  in  a  suit  of 
drab,  entered  the  rear  car.  His  personal  appearance  was 
tidy  and  prepossessing ;  his  hair  a  light  brown,  and  he 
wore  side  whiskers,  which  were  of  a  sandy  color;  his 
complexion  was  remarkably  fair  for  that  of  a  gentleman  ; 
his  bearing  was  easy  and  agreeable,  but  he  had  the  appear- 
ance of  being  two  or  three  years  younger  than  he  really 
was.  lie  had  said  his  adieus  to  his  friends,  who  had 
accompanied  him  to  the  depot,  and,  as  the  train  started 


m 


V;>  E 


^      i  i  Hi 


fcl-; 


■  ■     i 

M   :| 

llii 


m 


Iv 


f .' 


126 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


he  seated  himself  by  an  open  car-window  where  the  L^st 
parting  words  which  he  caught,  were  in  the  voice  of  his 
anxious  mother:  "Mercy  on  me,  Benjamin,"  said  she, 
"be  careful  of  yourself;  and,  don't  let  any  accident  hap- 
pen to  you  while  you  are  gone ;  and  write  to  us  every 
day  that  you  can."  To  which  Benjamin  replied,  "God 
bless  you,  mother ;  and  all  of  you."  And  as  the  train 
bore  him  away,  they  saw  a  handkerchief  waved  from 
that  car- window  bidding  them  his  silent  adieu. 

Young  Bailey's  thoughts  were  too  much  occupied  at 
first,  with  other  matters,  to  be  diverted  by  the  strangers 
in  a  railroad  car,  or  by  anticipating  the  pleasures  of  travel. 
He  had  received  a  letter  of  general  instructions  from  his 
friend,  Mr.  Baldwin,  and  was  required  to  report  on  the 
first  of  August  to  Collector  A.  of  the  Niagara  District,  for 
special  instructions.  He  had  calculated,  however,  to  visit 
for  a  short  time  the  points  of  interest  about  the  great 
falls,  before  commencing  duty  as  an  officer.  Never  hav- 
ing visited  Niagara  Falls,  he  had  preferred  not  to  see  the 
Collector  of  Customs  till  he  should  be  at  least  a  little 
acquainted  with  some  of  the  localities  in  a  vicinity  so 
noted. 

And  somehow  his  thoughts  would  revert  to  Laura 
Sommers  and  her  home  in  that  locality,  to  which  he  was 
approaching,  and  where  he  was  to  become  acquainted — 
and  perhaps  under  circumstances  which  would  add  ro- 
mance to  the  acquaintance  that  he  had  once  begun  with 
Laura.  He  could  not  help  thinking  how  pleasant  it 
would  be  to  visit  Laura  and  her  friends  had  not  cruel 
fate  allowed   him  to  be  misrepresented,  and  separated 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


127 


them  from  liim.  One  moment  he  thought  he  would  go 
and  see  Mr.  Sommers  and  insist  on  oflering  some  proof 
of  his  innocence  of  any  "dishonorable  course,  and  offer 
references  to  persons  of  standing  in  Fallington ;  and  tlie 
next  moment  pride,  delicacy,  and  the  thought  of  tlie 
reception  he  might  receive,  discouraged  him. 

If  Benjamin  tried  to  think  whether  he  had  any  friends 
and  acquaintances  residing  at  Niagara  Falls  who  could 
post  him  up  and  show  him  about,  it  was  not  an  unnatural 
thought ;  and  there  is  many  a  weary  house-keeper  resid- 
ing at  the  Falls  whose  patience  has  concluded  that  such 
ideas  are  not  unusual^  even  among  the  most  distant — 
acquaintances!  " It  is  wonderful  how  popular  it  makes 
one  with  all  their  old  acquaintances — with  all  their  new 
acquaintances — with  father's  old  neighbors  and  with  the 
acquaintances  of  your  wife's  second  and  third  cousins, 
whenever  they  come  from  distant  parts  to  visit  the  Falls  I 
come  to  see  you  a  couple  of  months  in  such  a  delightful 
place — come  to  make  you  a  good,  long  visit — I  declare ! 
said  they,  before  leaving  home,  it  is  too  warm  weather  to 
keep  house  I  Too  warm  for  them  to  keep  house  ?  Did 
they  think  of  others?  " 

Of  couj  se  this  little  satire  doesn't  mean  everybody,  for 
there  are,  no  doubt,  many  sensible  people  who  don't  even 
visit  their  friends  enough  at  Niagara  Falls,  because,  either 
nervously  or  humorously  such  reflections  have  been  sug- 
gested. 

I  am  certain,  however,  that  Benjamin  Bailey  would  not 
have  thought  of  hunting  up  a  fifteenth  cousin  whom  he 
had  never  seen  before  with  the  sole  intention  of  spending 


"lis 


H 


w 


m 


,11 


128 


A   STORY    OF   NIAGARA. 


the  summer  months  under  their  hospitable  roof — "  to  see 
the  falls." 

But  as  the  train  speeds  along  towards  Laura  Sommers' 
home,  nobody  that  has  ever  been  in  love  will  blame  Ben 
Bailey  for  wishing  it  were  so  that  he  could  make  a  visit  at 
Deacon  Sommers'.  But  he  does  not  feel  permitted  to  do 
so.  He  thinks,  however,  that  possibly  he  may  gain  a 
favorable  acquaintance  with  some  friend  of  theirs  who 
may  sometime  favor  him  so  far  as  to  induce  Mr,  Sommers 
to  furnish  him  with  the  secret  facts  about  the  slander, 
that  he  may  be  able  to  vindicate  his  honor ;  though  ho 
presumes  that  Laura  has  long  ago  ceased  to  think  of  him  I 

When  the  train  reached  the  city  of  Rochester  our 
new  detective  felt  a  strange  interest  in  the  words  of  the 
conductor  as  he  called  out  to  the  passengers:  "Rochester  I 
Passengers  for  the  Niagara  Falls  road  change  cars ! " 

The  train  stopped ;  and  then  followed  the  usual  rush 
and  the  usual  variety  of  passengers — home-folks  and  for- 
eign visitors,  bound  for  the  Falls — citizens  of  the  frontier 
villages,  of  Niagara  Falls,  Niagara  City  and  licwiston, 
and  way -passengers  on  their  private  business,  and  trav- 
elers for  the  great  West  via  Suspension  Bridge,  and  at 
this  time  an  additional  variety  of  characters  occasioned 
by  the  war  of  the  great  reb'^llion ;  some  of  whose  mis- 
sions were  as  secret  as  that  of  Benjamin  Bailey's. 

Our  new  detective  entered  the  Niagara  Falls  car  in 
time  to  secure  a  seat  by  himself;  but  as  the  crowd  came 
into  the  car  they  began  to  claim  their  right  to  a  seat  by 
the  side  of  those  who  occupied  the  room  intended  for  two 
persons.     Some,  who  had  previously  taken  possession  of 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


129 


a  whole  scat  designed  for  two  persons,  placed  ttieir  travel- 
ing bags  with  themselves  in  the  seat  to  give  the  appear- 
ance that  the  whole  room  in  their  seats  was  claimed. 
And  various  were  the  tricks  of  old  travelers  for  securing 
the  most  room  exclusively  to  themselves. 

Two  elderly  gentlemen  entered  the  front  door  of  the 
car  in  which  toward  the  rear,  Benjamin  was  seated.  They 
appeared  to  be  well  acquainted  with  each  other,  and 
looking  for  a  seat  together.  Just  before  reaching  Benja- 
min Bailey  they  politely  asked  a  gentleman,  occupying  a 
seat  alone,  where  two  could  be  seated,  if  he  would  oblige 
them  so  much  as  to  take  a  seat  with  that  gentleman — 
pointing  to  the  vacant  seat  by  the  side  of  Bailey — so  they 
two  could  sit  together,  as  they  wanted  to  chat  a  little. 

The  man  thus  accosted,  replied  that  he  presumed  the 
two  gentlemen  could  find  seats  enough  in  the  forward 
cars!  The  manner^  however,  in  which  this  individual 
"presumed"  what  he  evidently  knew  nothing  about,  was 
in  keeping  with  the  probability,  from  the  number  of  pas- 
sengers, that  he  believed  no  such  "presumption  I " 

The  two  gentlemen  made  no  reply  to  this  indirect 
refusal ;  nor  had  they  hardly  time  to  have  done  so  ere 
Benjamin  Bailey  politely  offered  and  vacated  his  seat  for 
their  accommodation.  They  thanked  him  and  accepted 
his  offer ;  while  he  took  a  seat  with  another  gentleman 
near  them. 

The  older  one  of  the  two  gentlemen  remarked  to 
Bailey,  that  "he  hoped  it  might  happen  in  his  way  some- 
time to  do  him  a  favor  in  return." 

"Gentlemen,"  said  Bailey,  "it  seems  to  me  that  so 
6* 


130 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


small  a  favor  is  only  a  common  civility;  and  your  polite 
acknowledgment  already  leaves  no  balance  in  my  favor." 

"  Well,  at  any  rate,"  pleasantly  replied  the  same  elderly 
gentleman,  "I  think  you  are  deserving  of  our  good  will, 
and  I  don't  very  often  make  mistakes  in  my  first  impres- 
sions of  people." 

"Thank  you  for  the  compliment,"  returned  T3ailey, 
with  a  very  perceptible  blush,  and  a  manner  altogether 
such  as  pleased  the  two  unknown  gentlemen,  and  called 
out  a  remark  from  the  one  who  had  not  spoken,  "What  a 
difference,"  said  he  in  an  undertone  to  the  other,  "  there 
is  in  people  1 " 

"Yes,  indeed,"  responded  the  other,  "and  it  only  takes 
a  trifle  besides  a  man's  countenance  to  make  us  read  his 
whole  character!" 

Benjamin  Bailey  had  now  turned  to  his  newspaper. 
And  now  let  us  inquire,  who  is  that  elderly  gentleman, 
who,  as  well  as  his  friend,  has  formed  ."O  good  an  opinion 
of  Mr.  Benjamin  Bailey  as  a  stranger?  Ah  I  that  is  a 
secret  which  Benjamin  little  dreamed  of  at  that  time,  or 
he  would  not  so  soon  have  forgotten  the  connpUment  just 
paid  him — not  even  to  read  of  the  prospect  of  a  fight 
between  General  Sherman  and  the  rebel  Genoval  Hood  at 
Atlaata.  No,  no ;  for  that  elderly  gentleman  is  Deacon 
Sommers  of  Niagara  Falls  1  The  other  is  the  Collector 
of  Customs  of  the  Niagara  District. 

But  as  Mr.  Sommers  and  the  Collector  entered  into 
conversation  together,  and  other  matters  attracted  Bailey's 
attention,  the  link  of  conversation  was  broken  off*,  and 
was  not  renewed ;  which,  otherwise  might  have  led  to  a 


A    B T O U  Y    OF    N  I  A  O  A  U  A. 


131 


vory  embarrassing  recognition  of  names  between  Mr. 
William  Sommers  and  Mr.  Benjamin  Bailey;  in  which 
case,  it  would  probably  liave  been  a  perplexing  puz/lo 
for  Deacon  Sommers  to  have  reconciled  his  "first  impres- 
sions" of  the  stranger  on  this  occasion,  with  tlic  opinions 
he  had  formed  throurjh  another  source;  and,  had  supposed 
himself  still  to  have  of  one  Benjamin  Bailey  residing 
near  the  village  of  Fallington  I 

With  the  thoughts  which  must  have  been  brought  up, 
under  all  the  circumstances,  and  in  the  presence  too,  of 
the  Collector,  to  whom  Benjamin  was  soon  to  report  for 
duty  as  an  officer  of  customs,  the  occasion  was  not  a 
desirable  one  for  recognition !  and  much  less  for  an 
explanation !  It  was  better,  therefore,  to  happen  as  it 
did ;  though  it  was  a  long  time  afterwards  before  Deacon 
Sommers  knew  that  he  had  ever  seen  Benjamin  Bailey ; 
and,  that,  without  knowing  it,  he  had  formed  as  favorable 
an  opinion  of  him  as  had  Mrs.  Sommers  when  she  and 
licr  daughter  first  saw  him  during  their  visit  at  Falling- 
ton  a  little  less  than  one  year  previous  to  this  time ! 

As  wo  have  intimated  elsewhere,  Benjamin  Bailey  had 
traveled  but  very  little ;  hence,  the  strategic  movements 
by  a  gentleman  and  lady  to  secure  plenty  of  room  in  the 
car  for  themselves,  had  attracted  Benjamin's  attention, 
when  he  first  took  his  seat,  before  the  train  had  started. 
And  he  soon  had  opportunity  to  notice  the  success  of 
their  strategem,  as  he  now  sat  in  the  next  seat  behincj 
them. 

They  had  entered  the  car  in  time  to  find  two  car-beats 
together,  unoccupied ;  they  laid  a  satchel  and  some  arti- 


182 


A    STORY    OF   NIAGARA. 


cles  of  over-clothing  in  the  empty  seat  in  front  of  tne 
one  which  they  personally  took  possession  of  This  gave 
the  seat  before  them,  whicli  they  had  turned  to  face  from 
them,  the  ap2')earance  of  having  been  claimed  by  some  party 
who  had  stepped  away  for  a  moment  /  and,  as  the  gentle- 
man behind  it  seemed  to  manifest  no  interest  in  the 
matter,  no  one  of  course  ventured  any  inquiries ;  passen- 
gers in  search  of  a  seat,  and  even  the  conductor,  of  course 
supposing  that  that  seat  was  "occupied ! " 

But  now  the  train  was  under  good  headway,  and  all, 
in  that  car  at  least,  had  become  seated,  by  crowding  in, 
two  and  two.  The  plan  has  succeeded.  The  jolly 
couple  in  front  of  our  new  detective,  now  airn  over  the 
mysterious  seat  in  question,  to  their  own  advantage ;  the 
gentleman  at  the  same  time  remarking  to  the  lady  that 
"  every  trade  has  its  tricks  and  this  is  one  of  the  tricks 
of  travel ! " 

"Possibly,"  responded  the  lady,  "by  the  time  we  arrive 
at  the  next  station  the  conductor  may  compel  us  to  make 
another  'move,'  and  we  shall  lose  this  fine  advantage!" 

"  Yery  true,  they  may  come  and  put  a  verbal  '  attach- 

and   drive  us  into   closer 


'  room ' 


ment  on  our  extra 
*  quarters,'  unless  I  claim  to  be  a  Major  General,  and  thus 
make  it  out  a  '  military  necessity ! '  that  we  keep  the 
advantage. " 

"I'm  afraid  that  wouldn't  work,"  replied  the  little 
woman.     "  You  don't  look  Major  Gencralish  enough  ! " 

"  Then  I  would  try  another  point  of  argument — I  would 
claim  it  by  'right  of  possession,'  and  put  on  the  assump- 
tion of  a  lawyer.     Wouldn't  I  look  like  a  lawyer?  " 


A    STORY    OF   NIAGARA. 


133 


"  Yes,  appear  like  one — in  o  bad  cause ! " 

"  Then  I  would  tell  him  to  commence  his  suits,  and  I 
would  beat  him  on  'time;'  and  try  that  argument  to 
make  him  let  us  alone  I  " 

"But,"  retorted  the  little  lady,  with  a  roguish  smile, 
"suppose  the  conductor  and  his  brakemen  should  use  a 
more  forcible  argument  than  your  quibbles?" 

"Then  I'd  tell  him — as  the  South  tells  Abraham 
Lincoln — that  'it  is  unconstitutional  to  use  force,'  and 
that  all  I  ask  of  him  or  his  brakemen,  is,  'to  let  us 
alone!'" 

"  What  if  they  should  take  hoth  seats  away  from  us, 
then,  and  put  us  off  the  cars  into  the  bargain  ?  " 

"If  they  tried  that,  I  would  scare  the  brakemen  off  by 
reminding  them  that  these  are  war  times,  and  that  the 
President  has  suspended  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus  I  They 
would'nt  know  what  it  means,  but  that  is  the  way  politi- 
cians frighten  voters  now,  you  know." 

"  Don't  mention  politics — I  hate  both  parties." 

"Uowso?" 

"  Why,  because  they  tell  such  misei'able  falsehoods, 
and  talk  such  intricate  nonsense,  and  then  have  to  fight 
about  it!" 

"  Would  you  rather  talk  about  the  fashions  ?^^  retorted 
the  gentleman,  in  a  joking  manner. 

"  0,  yes  !  certainly ;  a  magnificent  change  of  subject — 
presto,  of  course ;  for  they  do  say  there  are  such  delight- 
ful styles  out  this  month  ! " 

"I  presume  so,"  was  the  reply;  "silk  dresses  that  trail 
a  half-yard  on  the  dusty  sidewalk,  without  the  slightest 
regard  to  good  sense  or  neatness." 


i'^ii 


-  } 


m 


I 


n- 


I 


if 


r  ]•' 


lli: 


134 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


"  Yes,  a  full  half-yard  I "  interrupted  the  lady,  without 
noticing  the  last  part  of  his  remark.  "  Such  long  dresses 
give  immense  grace  to  one's  figure !  and,  by  the  way," 
said  the  sociable  Mrs.  Smith,  (if  that  was  her  name,) 
"  that  reminds  me  that  we  are  going  where  silk  is  very 
cheap — unless  the  Canadians  want  too  many  'greenbacks' 
for  a  dollar — too  much  of  our  money  for  too  little  of 
theirs ! " 

"  Hush !  remember  the  customs  officers  are  more  strict 
than  they  used  to  be  when  you  crossed  the  Suspension 
Bridge  before ! " 

That  means  smuggling!  thought  Benjamin  Bailey. 
And  as  he  took  notice  that  he  might  identify  them,  his 
eye  fell  on  a  name  on  their  traveling  bags,  lying  on  the 
seat  in  front  of  them.  Of  the  name  and  such  other 
matters  as  he  thought  best,  he  made  a  note  in  his  diary. 

It  was  one  of  the  peculiar  qualifications  of  Ben  Bailey 
that  he  had  acquired  the  art  of  writing  short-hand,  and 
he  was  in  the  habit  of  keeping  a  very  full  journal  in  that 
way.  By  this  practice  he  had  become  able  to  write  with 
much  rapidity,  and  to  this  we  are  indebted  for  many  par- 
ticulars of  incidents  which  are  related  in  this  volume. 


CHAPTEE  XIIL 


The  two  Detectives— A  Laughable  and  Mutual  Deception— Benjamin  learns  some- 
thing of  Niagara  Falls  and  Smugglers. 

When  the  train  readied  Brockport  Bailey  took  his 
traveling  bag  and  went  into  the  next  car,  where  he  seated 
himself  by  the  side  of  a  man  whom  he  found  very  talka- 
tive, "nd  who  said  he  had  lately  moved  from  Niagara 
Fallb.  Bailey  asked  him  a  great  many  questions  in  rela- 
tion to  that  locality,  and  about  business  there,  and  he 
wondered  if  it  was  not  easy  to  smuggle  across  the  Niagara 
River  in  some  places. 

At  this  moment  the  conductor  was  making  change  with 
a  man  seated  just  before  them,  and  as  he  turned  to  look 
at  Bailey's  ticket  he  remarked  to  Bailey  that  "a  man  is 
not  very  smart  if  he  cannot  smuggle  without  being  caught 
at  it." 

Not  long  after  the  conductor  had  made  this  remark,  a 
shrewd-looking  man  came  in  from  another  car  and  took  a 
seat  just  behind  Bailey.  And  though  at  first  he  only 
seemed  interested  in  his  newspaper,  he  gradually  managed 
to  get  into  conversation  with  Bailey,  and  the  opportunity 
became  a  good  one  as  the  stranger  in  the  seat  with  Bailey 
got  off  the  train  at  the  next  station.  The  man  with  the 
newspaper  grew  more   and  more  sociable,  and  no  two 


an 


m 


%^ 


I 
Ill 


R 


136 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


!  \  i' 


smugglere  could  have  sooner  or  more  easily  worlcecl  tlieir 
way  to  the  question  of  smuggling  than  did  these  two 
strangers,  Bedan  and  Bailey. 

Now,  the  fact  was,  this  man  who  was  courting  Ben 
Bailey's  attention,  was  an  old  officer  of  customs,  and  well 
known  as  such  to  all  the  railroad  conductors  whose  trains 
ran  to  Niagara  Falls.  For  three  years  back  he  had  been 
constantly  traveling  as  a  detective,  and  frequentl}'-  on  this 
road.  The  conductor  at  this  time  having  heard  Bailey 
speak  of  smuggling,  fancied  it  would  be  well  to  put  this 
detective  on  his  track,  as  he  happened  to  be  on  board  the 
train. 

Knowing  the  circumstances  it  does  not  now  seem  very 
remarkable  that  the  new  detective,  Ben  Bailey,  and  the 
stranger  with  the  newspaper,  found  themselves  so  easily 
drawn  into  conversation  in  which  each  one  was  trying  to 
learn  what  he  could  of  the  other.  Without  a  knowledge 
of  these  circumstances  it  certainly  would  have  seemed 
singular  to  have  noticed  what  a  propensity  these  two  jias- 
sengers  so  soon  had  for  asking  questions  of  each  other, 
and  how  willingly  each  was  to  learn  any  facts  on  the 
subject  of  smuggling. 

When  the  old  detective — for  a  blind — turned  the  sub- 
ject upon  the  weather,  or  tlie  crops,  or  the  raili'oads,  he 
noticed  that  the  young  man  shortly  returned  to  the  ques- 
tions about  the  Niagara  Eiver;  the  custom  house;  the  cost 
of  articles  in  Canada ;  the  duties  and  the  inducements  for 
smuggling;  from  which  he  concluded  that  the  young  man 
had  either  the  most  extraordinary  curiosity  "n  the  direc- 
tion of  custom  houses  and  smuggling,  or  else  he  was  one 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


137 


the 


of  the  most  verdant,  yellow-haired  Yankees  that  ever 
contemplated  his  first  speculations  in  that  line  of  business. 
Bailey,  on  his  part,  had  formed  the  decided  opinion  that 
this  fellow-traveler  hated  the  government,  the  taxes,  and 
custom  house  officials  in  particular;  and  that  he  was, 
probably,  an  old  smuggler. 

Their  conversation,  up  to  this  stage  of  con  elusions,  had 
been  designed  on  both  sides  "to  call  each  other  out" 
At  first  it  was  common-place  talk,  then  a  little  skirmish- 
ing, to  find  out  each  other's  business  and  each  other's 
views  on  free  trade  and  smuggling. 

The  following  is  a  portion  of  what  was  said,  neither 
party  for  one  moment  suspecting  that  the  other  was  a 
detective : 

"  I  have  lately  heard  considerable  about  smuggling," 
said  Bailey.  "  They  say  they  watch  smugglers  pretty 
closely.  How  many  officers  have  they  right  about  the 
Falls?" 

"  Not  so  many  that  one  need  be  afraid  of  them,"  was 
the  reply  of  Bedan. 

"  I  suppose  when  strangers  wish  to  speculate  that  way, 
they  generally  hire  some  persons  living  on  the  frontier, 
who  are  acquainted  with  the  business,  to  get  the  goods 
across  the  river,  don't  they?"  inq'l.'ed  Bailey. 

"  Frequently,  but  it  is  easy  done  by  anybody,  one  way 
or  another." 

"  Is  it  true  that  a  great  many  get  rich  just  by  getting 
goods  from  Canada  into  the  States  without  paying  duty 
on  them?  or  is  it,"  said  Bailey,  "more  dangerous  than 
profitable?" 


^1 


«l 


^fl 


'  m 


II  m 


I 


138 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


"  Profitable  1  I'll  be  hanged  if  it  isn't,"  said  Bcdan. 
"There  is  one  man,  in  particular,  who  lives  in  Tona- 
wanda,  half-way  between  the  Falls  arid  Buffalo,  who  has 
made  a  fortune  at  it !  principally  by  smuggling  whisky ; 
and  made  it  all  in  about  a  year  back  ! " 

"  How  do  they  manage  to  avoid  detection  ?  "  inquired 
Bailey. 

"  O !  that's  a  secret  which  belongs  to  the  business. 
Perhaps  I  could  tell  you  more  about  that  than  it  would 
be  for  my  interest  to  tell ! "  was  Bedan's  reply. 

"What  can  you  have  to  fear  from  me?"  replied 
Bailey,  feeling  quite  elated  with  the  idea  of  getting 
acquainted  with  a  real  smuggler.  "I  am,"  said  Bailey, 
"  an  entire  stranger  on  the  frontier,  and  don't  know  one 
of  the  officers  there ;  and  besides  that,  if  you  are  in  the 
secret,  and  can  convince  me  you  have  been  smart  enough 
to  make  money  out  of  it  yourself,  I  am  willing  to  pay 
you  for  posting  me  up." 

"Well,  what  do  you  want?"  asked  the  old  detective, 
for  he  began  now  to  suspect  Bailey  knew  more  of  the 
frontier  than  he  pretended,  and  also  flattered  himself  he 
had  well-nigh  won  Bailey's  confidence  as  a  smuggler 
himself. 

"Well,  for  instance,"  replied  Bailey,  "how  could  you 
assist  me,  suppose  I  should  buy  a  few  barrels  of  whisky 
on  the  Canada  side  ?  Have  you  any  means  of  getting  it 
across  the  river?" 

"  Perhaps  I  have,"  was  Bedan's  reply. 

"I  suppose  the perhaps,^^  said  Bailey,  "means,  provided 
I  paid  you  enough  for  running  the  risk." 


1+' 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


139 


It 


"Perhaps  it  docs!"  returned  the  old  detective,  pre- 
tending a  little  caution,  "and  perhaps  it  means  we  don't 
help  any  stranger  into  the  business  till  he  begins  the 
business  first,  himself.  This  is  the  rule,  and  I  know  they 
wouldn't  post  me  up  till  after  they  knew  I  had  smug- 
gled something  myself,  as  a  sort  of  confidence  initiation. 
But  for  all  I  know  to  the  contrary,  you  may  be  better 
posted  on  smuggling  than  I  am,"  said  the  old  detective, 
with  a  kind  of  suspicious  laugh. 

"  0  !  no,  upon  my  word,"  said  Bailey,  "I  was  never  at 
Niagara  Falls  in  my  life." 

"  Since  we  have  talked  so  mucn,  then,"  replied  the  old 
detective,  taking  out  his  tobacco-box  and  filling  his  mouth 
with  a  huge  quid  of  tobacco,  as  if  he  were  thinking  of 
something  else,  instead  of  the  voracious  quantity — "since 
I've  told  you  my  views  on  free  trade" — he  resumed,  as 
soon  as  his  tongue  had  rolled  the  "fine  cut"  a  little  out  of 
the  \vay  of  his  organs  of  speech^  "  I  should  like  to  have 
you  regard  what  I  have  said  as  a  private  matter;  and 
if " 

Here,  happening  to  remember  the  etiquette  of  tobacco- 
users,  he  extended  the  remnant  of  a  paper  o''  tobacco, 
with  the  polite  invitation : 

" Here,  stranger,  beg  your  pardon,  take  a  chew? " 

"No,  thank  you,  you  will  have  to  excuse  me." 

"  Ah !  don't  use  the  weed,  eh  ?  but  as  I  was  going  to 
sa}'-,  if  you  will  tell  me  candidly  whether  you  thought  of 
dealing  in  whisky,  or  anything  in  which  you  would  need 
a  boat,  I  can  tell  you  who  are  the  best  and  most  cau- 


'rm 


I 


48)! 


m 


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If 
I 

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140 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


tious  men  for  you  on  the  frontier  between  Buffalo  and 
Youngstown." 

"  I  thought,  sir,  of  getting  acquainted  with  the  business 
first." 

"Hang  it  I"  thought  Bedan,  "this  is  a  queer  fellow. 
He  is  bold  as  a  fool  before  he  begins  the  business;  or 
else  he's  playing  a  game  of  curiosity  for  his  own  amuse- 
ment. I  can't  make  his  intention  nor  his  business  corres- 
pond with  my  impressions  of  the  fellow,  I  can't ;  I'll  be 
hanged  if  I  can  I "  thought  Bedan,  instead  of  making  an 
immediate  reply  to  Bailey's  last  remark. 

After  a  moment  Bailey  inquired :  "Are  you  interested 
in  any  boats  doing  that  kind  of  work?  if  you  are,  I 
shall  be  pleased  to  see  you  and  your  friends  after  I  have 
visited  the  Falls  a  few  days." 

"Hang  it!"  thought  Bedan,  "he  means  to  smuggle, 
whether  he  ever  has  or  not  I "  so  the  old  detective  replied : 
"  Well,  as  your  talk  seems  to  mean  our  kind  of  business, 
I  would  say,  I  have  a  few  very  fine,  fast  boats,  and  I 
shall  be  happy  to  do  you  all  the  favors  I  can  consistently ! 
But  until  you  shall  be  admitted  into  the  organization  of 
*  free  traders,'  you  and  I  must  keep  each  other's  secrets 
from  other  smugglers !  For  instance,  in  connection  with 
smuggling  you  are  not  to  mention  my  name,  nor  I  yours." 

"  Precisely  so ;  a  thing  we  shall  not  be  very  apt  to  do 
till  those  convenient  titles  of  our  individualities  become 
known  between  ourselves!"  said  Bailey,  with  a  sup- 
pressed laugh. 

"Ha,  ha!  very  true;  my  name  is  Bedan,  George 
Bedan." 


A   STORY   OF   NIAGARA. 


141 


"And  mine  is  Bailey.  But  I  was  going  to  ask,  how 
you  manage  to  evade  the  officers  ?  " 

"  That's  the  very  secret — that's  the  trade.  It's  like 
medicine  for  the  asthma ;  one  medicine  don't  suit  every 
case;  you  have  to  change  it  according  to  symptoms." 

Bedan  could  account  for  his  own  boldness  of  conver- 
sation about  smuggling,  because  he  was  no  smuggler, 
except  he  did  so  for  a  blind  to  detect  others,  but  when  he 
saw  Bailey's  want  of  caution  about  his  probable  intention 
to  smuggle,  he  concluded  he  must  be  one  of  those  unac- 
countable Yankees,  we  sometimes  meet  with,  in  search  of 
adventure  and  speculation.  And  he  anticipated  easily 
catching  him  in  his  attempts  at  smuggling. 

To  Bailey's  inquiry  as  to  the  best  hotels  about  the 
Falls  to  stop  at,  Bedan  replied : 

"  If  you  wish  to  pass  as  a  gentleman  of  travel,  above 
the  suspicion  of  smuggling,  you  must  take  up  your  head- 
quarters at  the  very  best  houses.  And  if  it  is  your 
intention  to  bring  rich  dress  goods  across  from  Canada, 
such  as  silk  and  silk  velvet,  etc.,  or  jewelry,  and  such 
like,  it  is  a  pity  you  have  not  provided  yourself  with  a 
lady  assistant  But  perhaps  you  have  done  so  ?  "  inquir- 
ingly added  the  old  detective. 

"  No,  I  have  no  lady  with  me." 

"  Well,  we  can  arrange  that ;  what  you  can't  find  along 
Niagara,  you  can't  anywhere.  With  the  present  style  of 
ladies'  dress,  you  can  easily  understand  how  they  can 
conceal  and  bring  over  three  or  four  hundred  dollars' 
worth  of  goods  at  once,  right  before  the  eyes  of  the 
officers,  and  all  the  while  appear  as  innocent  as  little 


J 


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.  If  m 


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142 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


lambs.  Of  course,  the  gentleman  accompanies  the  lady, 
and  crosses  the  Suspension  Bridge,  either  on  the  cars  or 
in  a  carriage  procured  of  one  of  the  most  innocent  drivers 
in  the  world!  who  will  report  for  you  'nothing  aboard,' 
with  the  intention,  if  the  carriage  is  seized,  of  swearing 
that  he  could  not  of  course  have  known  that  the  lady  had 
concealed  goods  aboard.  You  see  I'm  posted,  and  if 
you  want  any  help  I'm  on  hand." 

"  By  George ! "  said  Bailey,  "  you  do  seem  to  under- 
stand it.     Do  you  keep  any  carriages  for  that  purpose  ?  " 

"No,  but  I  can  tell  you  whose  carriages  have  never 
been  caught  yet !  If  you  have  got  the  capital  to  carry 
on  the  business  I  can  give  you  plans  enough.  But  we 
fellows  who  understand  the  frontier,  and  all  the  'tricks 
of  trade'  there,  expect  a  liberal  percentage  for  our  aid 
in  such  matters  whenever  you  suoceed." 

"0,  certainly,"  said  Bailey,  "if  1  find  you  are  the 
right  man,  and  if  I  conclude  to  risk  your  plans  after 
seeing  how  you  manage  the  matter  a  little,  I  can  raise 
some  funds,  but  I  might  not  meet  your  expectations,  for 
I  am  only  a  country -bred  chap,  any  how ;  and  like  the 
poorer  class  of  editors,  we  don't  deal  much  in  luxuries ; 
probabl}?^  in  other  respects  we  don't  resemble  editors. 
Farmers  generally  have  to  work  hard,  you  know,  and 
don't  grow  rich  fast,  and  besides  that,  they  don't  handle 
large  amounts  continually,  like  merchants,  and  bank- 
ers, and  speculators ;  and  I've  no  doubt  it  is  this  difl'cr- 
ence  which  cultivates  different  ideas  of  liberality,  and 
greater  or  less  caution  as  to  using  or  investing  money. 
So  you  must  bear  with  me  a  little  till  I  become  accus- 


h     I 


A    STOUY    OF    NIAGAliA. 


U3 


tomcd  to  your  views  of  liberality  and  right,  and  to  your 
customs  generally ! " 

"  Our  customs !  you  know  we  don't  believe  in  customs," 
said  Bedan. 

"No,  not  in  custom-liouse  customs,  of  course,  but  in,  at 
least,  the  custom  of  avoiding  customs!"  was  Bailey's 
laughing  reply. 

"Ah!  precisely  so!  I  am  acquainted  with  some  cus- 
tomary ways,  as  well  as  some  very  t<n-customary  ways  in 
that  line ;  else,  of  course,  I  should  be  a  very  poor  pilot 
for  '  free  traders '  to  employ  to  aid  in  getting  their  goods 
across  the  Niagara  into  a  port  of  safety  I" 

"A  port  of  safety!"  thought  Bedan;  "perhaps  it  is 
mean  for  me  to  deceive  the  fellow ;  but  if  men  will  break 
the  laws  they  must  exjyect  a  detective  will  trap  them  if  he 
can,  and  bring  them  to  punishment."  Such  were  Bedan's 
secret  reflections ;  while  Bailey  at  the  same  time  rested 
for  a  moment  on  the  last  remark  of  the  "  smuggler's  pilot !  " 
and  privately  thouglit, — "All  right !  I've  been  lucky 
enough  already  to  stumble  on  the  right  man  to  let  me 
into  the  smugglers'  secrets,  and  into  their  very  camp,  I 
suppose,  if  I  choose  to  go  there.  But  it's  thundering 
queer,"  thought  Ben  Bailey,  "that  smugglers  are  so  bold 
in  their  talk ;  especially  to  a  stranger  like  me — though 
perhaps  that's  the  secret!  he  takes  me  for  a  country 
fellow,  with  a  little  money  on  a  speculating  trip,  ready 
for  a  little  smuggling,  and  being  in  the  business  hinit^elf 
he  can  make  a  little  something  on  what  he  lielps  me  to 
smuggle.  I  don't  know  what  kind  of  oflieers  they  liave 
ill  tlie  custom-house  sei'vice,  but  this  old  smuggler,  or 


f'r 


um 


\y. 


m 


144: 


A    STOllY    OF    NIAGARA. 


chief  aid  in  some  branch  of  their  business,  evidently 
don't  honor  me  with  the  suspicion  that  I  could  possibly 
be  such  an  officer  I  Well,  if  I  lack  anything  in  appear- 
ance, and  it  turns  to  my  advantage,  so  mote  it  be," 
thought  Ben. 

The  old  detective  and  the  new  occupied  the  time  in 
conversation  on  smuggling  and  other  subjects,  if  we 
deduct  an  occasional  pause,  till  they  reached  the  Falls ; 
before  which  time,  however,  it  had  been  arranged  that 
Bailey  should  drop  a  letter  in  the  Niagara  Falls  post-office 
to  let  Bedan  know  where  and  when  he  could  meet  him, 
and  to  do  this  so  soon  as  Bailey  should  be  ready  for 


CHAPTER  XIT. 


Bcnjumin  arrives  at  the  Fulls— A  Ilnckinan  who  understands  his  buslucss— Experi- 
ence as  a  Stranger— Points  of  Interest  to  Visitors. 


In  due  time  the  train  stopped  at  the  village  of  Niagara 
Falls,  and  our  two  detectives,  Bailey  and  Bedan,  who  had 
deceived  themselves,  as  badly  as  each  had  deceived  the 
other,  separated  in  the  crowd  of  passengers. 

Bailey  concluded  to  leave  his  trunk  in  the  railroad 
baggage-room,  and  sometime  during  the  day  to  return  for 
it.  Of  course  an  experienced  traveler  w^ould  have  had 
himself  and  his  baggage  taken  directly  to  a  first  class 
hotel ;  but  Benjamin  Bailey  took  a  notion  to  spend  a 
little  time  looking  about  the  place,  and  to  decide  from  his 
own  observation  as  to  where  he  would  select  a  boarding 
[)lace.  Ue  first  went  forward  to  the  baggage-car,  and  had 
his  trunk  placed  safely  in  care  of  the  baggage-man,  to 
whom  he  paid  a  liberal  fee.  lie  then  passed  by  the  first 
group  of  porters  and  hotel  runners  in  the  most  perfect 
safety ;  notwithstanding  the  greatly  exaggerated  and  fear- 
ful accounts  given  of  this  whole  class  at  the  Falls  by  an 
occasional  newspaper  correspondent,  who  in  some  instan- 
ces may  have  left  the  hotels  angry  at  not  being  able  to 
offset  his  board-bill  against  what  his  pen  would  or  would 
not  say  in  the  newspapers,  he  claiming  to  be  a  highly- 


iii- 


n 

tir? 
4 


m 

ill 


loi 


nr^ 


140 


A    STOllY    OF    NIAGARA. 


salaried  correspondent,  tliongh  writing  under  an  assumed 
name  in  consequence,  (as  he  lias  previously  intimated  to 
the  landlord,)  of  his  great  modesty  ! 

Ilad  the  porters  and  runners  been  as  bad  as  sometimes 
represented,  the  regulations  at  the  depot,  at  this  place, 
are  so  excellent,  and  so  strictly  enforced  by  police  officers 
and  railroad  employees,  that  passengers  as  they  get  olf 
the  cars,  have  ample  room  and  opportunity  to  look  after 
their  own  baggage,  or  walk  into  large  and  commodious 
sitting-rooms  of  the  depot  without  being  confronted,  or 
troubled  with  questions  or  solicitations. 

Those  who  drive  an  omnibus  for  any  hotel,  occupy  a 
small  space  at  a  proper  distance,  and  passengers  may  con- 
verse with  these  porters  by  approaching  them,  or  pass 
directly  to  and  tlirough  the  sitting-rooms  of  the  depot. 
As  they  leave  the  depot  they  will  usually,  during  the 
summer  season,  find  from  ten  to  twenty  elegant  carriages 
waiting  along  the  platform  at  the  west  side  of  the  depot, 
which  is  about  eighty  rods  from  the  great  cataract. 
Carriages  a^'^  rlso  found  waiting  at  various  points  close 
in  view  of  the  falls  and  rapids. 

Bailey  emerged  from  the  passengers'  sitting-room,  and 
was  immediately  upon  the  side- walk  at  the  corner  of  the 
streets.  The  sharp  eye  of  a  hackman  in  an  instant  de- 
tected him  as  a  stranger,  from  the  manner  in  which  he 
k)oked  about  to  view  whatever  the  streets  at  this  point, 
in  four  directions,  allowed  him  to  see  of  the  celebrated 
little  village  of  Niagara  Falls. 

Writing  these  pages  as  I  am  upon  the  banks  of  Ning- 
ara,  and  having  a  I'aniiliar  acquaintanf^e  with  doings  in 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


U7 


tliis  locality,  I  can  assure  the  reader  that  very  many  of 
those  eniTjaMcl  in  tlie  hack  business  at  Niagara  Falls,  are 


'o"o 


reliable,  intelligent,  and  respectable,  business  men ;  many 
of  them  driving  tlieir  own  carriages  for  their  passengers. 

As  in  every  otlier  business,  there  is  occasionally  a 
peculiar  character  among  the  hack-drivers  at  Niagara, 
and  such  was  Mr.  Gulliver's  driver. 

"Do  you  wish  to  hire  a  carriage,  sir?"  said  Mr.  Gulli- 
ver's driver,  in  his  most  beseeching  manner  to  our  new 
detective. 

"  No,  sir,  not  at  present  But  may  I  inquire  how  far 
it  is  to  the  Niagara  Falls  ?  " 

"  0,  only  a  short  distance,  sir ;  I  am  going  right  there ; 
get  aboard,  sir;  take  you  there  for  twenty-five  cents." 

By  Lhis  time  the  driver  had  stopped  the  carriage  close 
by  Bailey,  and  he  accepted  the  very  reasonable  offer  of 
the  driver  and  got  into  the  carriage,  w^ithout  the  least 
idea  whether  a  "short  distimce"  means  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  or  two  miles  and  a  quarter.  But  how  can  he  refuse 
his  patronage  when  only  such  a  trifling  sum  as  twenty- 
five  cents  is  asked  by  a  driver  who  has  so  evidently 
intended  the  offer  as  a  favor,  seeing  he  was  "going  right 
that  way  "  with  his  carriage  I 

"  How  far  did  you  say  it  is  to  the  falls  ?  " 

"  Only  a  ''short  distance,^  sir,"  repeated  the  driver,  as  he 
cracked  his  whip  and  turned  his  horses  down  Falls  street, 
intending  to  tidce  his  passenger  in  view  of  Goat  Tshuid, 
and  drive  along  Mechanic  street  in  view  of  the  r:i])i(ls 
and  towards  the  Ferry  Uouse,  on  which  route  a  large 
portion  of  the  falls  can  be  seen  from  carriages 


mM 


'■^ 


V\ 


148 


A    STORY    OF   NIAGARA. 


!M 


"  There's  a  good  many  places  about  here  that  strangers 
go  to  see,  and  to  get  different  views  of  the  falls.  People 
might  think  before  they  come  here  that  all  there  is  to  do, 
to  see  Niagara  Falls,  is  just  to  come  here  an'  stand  an' 
look  at  'em — from  almost  anywhere  in  sight  of  'em  ;  but 
everybody  finds  when  they  get  here  that  these  'ere  falls 
is  a  mighty  big  thing  afore  you  get  all  'round  'em.  Any- 
body needs  a  whole  day,  with  a  carriage,  to  see  all  the 
points  of  interest." 

"  I  should  not  suppose  it  would  take  a  long  time  to  sec 
the  falls  after  j'ou  get  to  them,"  said  Bailey. 

"Yes,  but  it's  a  dum  sight  worse  than  just  walkin' 
around  a  big  hay-stack ! " 

"  I  presume  so,"  said  Bailey,  smiling  at  the  driver's  odd 
comparison. 

"That's  the  International  Hotel  on  the  corner  here," 
said  the  driver;  "and  the  other  big,  rough-cast  structure 
riglit  by  the  rapids  here,  is  the  Cataract  House — both 
good  houses,  tip-top  fare  and  everything." 

"  Good  many  visitors  stopping  there  ?  "  inquired  Bailey. 

"Not  a  great  many  just  now.  Probably  about  five 
hundred  at  each  house." 

"  Say,  driver,  did  you  say  you  were  going  right  to  the 
falls?" 

"  Yes,  sir,  there's  the  rapids,  right  there.  Don't  you 
see  how  the  river  dances  about  on  a  regular  rough-and- 
tumble?" 

Bailey  acknowledged  that  he  did ;  and  here  the  driver 
turned  down  the  short  street  between  the  two  large  liotels, 
and  in  a  moment  more  stopped  his  carriage  near  Goat 


1       ! 


i 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


149 


Island  bridge,  whicli  crosses  the  rapids  just  above  the 
American  fall. 

"  There,"  said  the  driver,  "just  below  us  you  see  where 
the  water  pitches  over ;  but  the  big  part  of  the  fall — the 
Horse-shoe  fall — is  over  beyond  Goat  Island,  on  the  Can- 
ada side.  There's  seventy-five  acres  in  that  island  right 
at  the  brink  of  the  falls  there.  But  you  see,  stranger, 
that  the  falls  are  a  dum  sight  the  biggest  I " 

"  But  we  can't  get  a  good  view  of  the  falls  here,  driver," 
said  Bailey,  starting  to  get  out  of  the  carriage. 

"  Of  course  you  can't  get  a  good  view  of  the  falls  if 
3^ou  get  out  here.  But  I  can  drive  to  a  place  where  you 
can  get  a  better  view.  You'd  like  a  letter  view,  woiddn'i 
ijouV 

Bailey  thought  the  driver  a  very  devefi'  fellow — very 
sociable — so  he  resumed  his  seat,  and  the  driver  resumed 
his  business,  which  was  to  keep  his  passenger  interested 
in  hopes  he  would  extend  his  patronage  to  a  longer  ride. 
The  driver  started  up  his  team  and  in  a  few  moments  he 
called  the  attention  of  his  passenger  to  a  partial  view  of 
the  falls  upon  the  Canadian  side  of  the  river. 

"  Magnificent !  sublime ! "  exclaimed  Bailey. 

"Do  you  see,"  asked  the  driver,  "that  fine,  large,  yel- 
low building  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  with 
double  piazzas  extend " 

"  Never  mind  your  large  buildings  and  piazzas,"  said 
Bailey,  continuing  his  intense  gaze  towards  the  Horse- 
shoe fall.  "  Hadn't  I  better  get  out  here,  so  I  can  walk 
round  somewhere  and  get  a  better  view  ?  " 

"  Would  you  like  to  go  where  you  can  get  ^  front  view 


'"1 

•I.  .'li 


'M 


150 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


of  the  falls  ?  "  asked  the  driver,  wliile  his  horses  kept  on 
a  slow  trot. 

"Why,  yes,  I  would." 

"  Well,  that  is  what  I  was  going  to  tell  you ;  you  see 
that  yellow  establishment,  large  building,  double  piazzas 
extending  around  two  sides?" 

"Yes." 

"  Well,  that's  the  Clifton  House — that's  where  Jenny 
Lind  stopped  several  weeks  when  she  nightingaled  it  so 
in  this  country.  In  fact  it's  where  the  Prince  of  Wales 
stopped,  and  where  every  noted  person  makes  a  stop 
before  leaving  the  Falls.  You  see  it  was  built  there 
because  there  is  the  best  view — a  'front  view'  of  the 
whole  Falls,  on  both  sides  of  the  river ;  and  it's  kept  in 
the  very  best,  tip-topest  style.  They  take  greenback 
money,  and  only  charge  the  same  as  the  best  houses  this 
side.  .It's  across  there  you  must  go  to  get  the  best  view — 
a  front  view  I " 

" How  far,  driver,  do  you  have  to  go  to  get  there? ' 

"0,  not  a  '■gveaV  ways — just  around  by  the  railroad 
Suspension  Bridge." 

"  How  far  off  is  that  bridge  ?  I  always  thought  it  was 
close  by  Niagara  Falls." 

"No,  but  it's  just  '■hclow^  here— only  a  '■little  ways.'* 
There's  the  Whirlpool,  too,  a  mile  below  the  bridge,  which 
everybody  goes  to  see.  You  can  go  to  it  upon  either 
side  of  the  river.  And  there's  Buttery's  Kapids,  which 
strangers  go  down  to  ^  just  below  the  bridge,  by  a  saw- 
mill which  runs  by  a  curious  contrivance  of  long,  wire 
ropes,  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  off — down  the  bank — 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


151 


in  the  rapids !  And  then  a  mile  further  down  the  river, 
tliere's  the  Devil's  Ilole,  a  queer  place  in  the  river  bank, 
with  a  spring  in  a  cave ;  and  there  was  an  Indian  massacre 
there  once.  Then  just  beyond  the  Canada  falls  is  the 
battle-ground  of  Lundy's  Lane,  and  near  that  a  curious 
burning  spring.  And  so  I  could  tell  of  points  of  inter- 
est all  around  this  vicinity  for  a  whole  day's  drive.  If 
you  would  like  to  go  and  see  some  of  the  best  places,  as 
far  as  you  have  time  to-day,  I'd  be  glad  to  take  you  as 
cheap  as  anybody  wall ! " 

"Say,  driver,  where  are  you  taking  me  to?"  inquired 
Benjamin.  "  It  seems  to  me  you  have  got  almost  a  mile 
away  from  the  falls !  " 

*'  Why,  of  course,"  replied  the  sociable  driver,  "  you 
are  not  bound  to  ride  any  further  than  j^ou  wish  to ;  but 
wouldn't  you  like  to  cross  the  bridge  and  go  up  on  the 
Canada  side,  where  you  can  get  the  best  view  of  the  falls  ? 
Take  you  up  there  and  give  you  all  the  time  you  want , 
and  only  charge  the  regular  price — a  dollar  and  a  half 
an  hour." 

It  was  true  that  this  was  only  the  legal  rate.  But 
Benjamin  Bailey's  knowledge  of  team-work  in  the  coun- 
try, at  three  or  four  dollars  per  day,  and  of  Smith's 
livery  charges  for  a  horse  and  buggy  in  the  dull  village 
of  Fallington,  led  him  to  ask  the  driver  with  a  look  of 
surprise,  if  people  generally  paid  such  prices  here. 

"  Why,  of  course,  stranger ;  only  think,  this  hack  and 
horses  cost  fifteen  hundred  dollars ;  and  it's  only  four 
months  in  the  year  that  strangers  come  here,  and  they  are 
so  rich  and  so  many  of  them,  that  they  keep  every  hack 
busy," 


152 


A   STORY    OF   NIAGARA. 


■>■■> 


Wn-i 


!■■     t 


h    i 


"  0,  if  it  is  the  market  price — all  right,  of  course," 
said  Bailey."  ^ 

"  Say,  stranger,"  said  the  driver,  getting  off  the  sub- 
ject of  prices,  "  speakin'  of  rich  visitors,  I  wonder  if 
some  gentlemen  don't  come  here  to  get  acquainted  with 
rich  young  ladies  ?  There's  an  awful  sight  of  weddings 
here,  and  diamond  rings,  and  dances,  all  summer." 


m 


5  :  ! 


CHAPTEE  XY. 

The  Hack-driver  continues  to  interest  Benjamin— Other  Strangers— Another  Custom 
House  Officer— Gulliver's  Driver— Smuggling  talked  of— Hints  of  liow  it  is  done. 


I 


Then  tlicy  came  to  the  spot  where  Blondin,  the  French 
rope-walker,  stretched  his  rope  across  the  Niagara  river 
in  the  sunimer  of  1858.  Here  the  driver  stopped  his 
liorses  a  moment,  and  recounted  the  daring  and  wonderful 
performances  of  that  great  gymnast  on  his  rope  over  the 
deep  abyss,  in  which  runs  the  rapid  river  below  the  falls. 

Although  this  driver  was  suspected  by  some  strangers 
of  telling  fictitious  stories  to  interest  passengers,  and  of 
exaggerating  trifling  incidents  which  had  occurred  about 
the  falls,  in  order  to  be  considered  an  interesting  guide, 
still  we  must  do  him  the  compliment  to  affirm  that  such 
was  not  the  case. 

On  one  occasion  a  waggish  stranger,  who  had  em- 
ployed Mr.  Gulliver's  driver,  and  had  humorously  encour- 
aged his  narration  of  items  of  interest,  jokingly  asked 
him,  why  he  lied  so  about  everything  but  Blondm  ? 

"Why,"  said  the  driver,  in  reply,  "I'm  almost  afraid 

to  tell  the  icliole  truth  about  that  Frenchman,  because  it 

sounds  like  a  bigger  story  than  an3^thing  I  could  get  up. 

So  you  see  I  always  feel  as  if  I  was  lying  about  him 

lohen  Vm  telling  the  truth  !  " 
7* 


■m 


m 


i 


fy 


HI 


If  *' 


154 


A    STOKY    OF    NIAOAllA. 


As  tlie  driver  pointed  out  to  Bailey  the  spot  whore  tlic 
rope,  the  first  season  of  these  performances  was  stretched 
across  the  river,  from  "  White's  Pleasure  Grounds,"  Bailey- 
inquired  how  far  across  the  river  it  is  at  this  point 

"About  eleven  hundred  feet,  sir." 

"Is  it  possible,"  inquired  Bailey,  "that  Blondin  actu- 
ally walked  across  there,  on  a  rope,  as  the  newspapers 
told  it,  with  a  man  on  his  back  ?  " 

"  I  beg  leave  to  be  eaten  up  by  cannibals,  sir,  if  he 
didn't!  I  saw  him  do  it,  myself;  and  there  was  at  least 
five  thousand  others  lookin'  on  the  same  time." 

"  IIow  much  did  the  man  weigh  ?  " 

"One  hundred  and  thirty  pounds,  sir;  and  besides 
that,  the  tough,  little  Frenchman  carried  a  balancing  pole 
in  his  hands  which  weighed  forty  pounds,  sir." 

"  I  declare,  said  Bailey,  "  that  made  one  hundred  and 
seventy  pounds — nearly  equal  to  three  bushels  of  wheat; 
and  of  course  the  man  could  not  get  off  the  rojie-walker's 
back,  and  get  on  again  for  fear  of  falling ;  so  there  was 
no  way  of  resting  until  he  carried  him  clear  across." 

"  Get  off  his  back  and  get  on  again  while  on  the  rope  ? 
So  help  me  Jehosophat !  that  is  just  what  he  did  do  a 
half  a  dozen  times  1 " 

"  Don't  you  find  it  hard  work  to  make  folks  believe 
that  story,  driver?" 

"  Yes,  sir,  but  Blondin  always  did  all  he  advertised  to 
do ;  till  at  last  everybody  would  have  believed  he  could 
walk  across  on  nothing  if  he'd  said  so ' " 

"Whatelsecifzc^hedo?" 

"What  else?  he  took  a  good-sized  sheet-iron  stove, 


A    STOllV    OF    NIAGARA. 


155 


with  a  length  of  pipe  on  it,  out  on  the  middle  of  the 
rope,  and  eooked  buck-wheat  cakes  there  for  refreshments. 
And  at  another  time  he  took  a  strong-made  chair  out 
there,  balanced  it  on  the  rope,  and  stood  up  in  the  chair ! 
And  one  night  he  walked  across  with  a  torch-light  at 
each  .end  of  his  balancing  stick,  and  when  he  got  half 
way  across,  all  of  a  sudden  the  lights  dropped  off  into 
the  river,  and  everybody  was  scart  to  death ;  they  could 
not  see  whether  he  fell  into  the  river  or  what  had  become 
of  him,  but  no,  sir " 

"  What  in  the  world,"  said  Bailey,  half  doubting  the 
driver's  w^ord,  "  could  he  do  if  it  was  dark  as  that,  and 
his  light  went  out? " 

"  Well,  everybody  waited  awfully,  for  as  much  as  five 
or  ten  minutes,  and  although  they  was  scared  all  to  shiv- 
ers, they  kinder  had  faith  in  him ;  so  they  held  their 
breath,  and  in  a  few  minutes  they  heard  the  crowd  on 
the  other  side  of  the  river  makin'  the  awfulest  cheerin' 
you  ever  did  see!  We  knew  then  he'd  got  safe  over 
Jordan,  an'  'twas  just  his  own  trick — he  didn't  need  any 
light!*  Then  the  next  season  he  put  his  rope  across 
just  below  the  Suspension  Bridge,  and  at  the  time  the 
Trince  of  Wales  was  here  lookin'  at  him — and  the  bridge 
and  river-banks  were  lined  with  spectators — I'll  be  eaten 
up  by  cannibals  if  he  didn't  walk  across  on  his  rope,  on 
5^/7^5  three  feet  high  !  he  did,  sir ! " 

"  There,  driver,  that's  enough  !  At  any  rate  it  is  all  I 
can  possibly  believe !  " 

"  Well,  it's  as  true  as  Jehosophat !  and  I  'spose  if  any- 

♦  These  incidents  are  literally  true. 


!,  „1 


156 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


body  rides  with  me  they  always  want  to  know  all  the 
points  of  interest ;  and  it's  no  good  to  hire  a  guide  about 
tlie  Falls  if  he  jest  takes  you  around  and  don't  tell  you 
nothin'  what  there  is  to  see !  I've  had  gentlemen  what's 
use  to  travelin'  give  me  five  dollars  more'n  they  agreed 
to  many  a  time  for  understandin'  my  business  1 " 

"That  is  the  great  railroad  suspension  bridge,  is  it, 
just  before  us?"  inquired  Bailey. 

"  Yes,  sir,  that's  the  animal." 

Bailey  gazed  in  mute  astonishment  till  the  driver 
halted  his  team  behind  another  carriage,  waiting  his  turn 
at  the  toll  office,  at  the  entrance  upon  the  bridge. 

Here  the  driver  (as  was  his  custom  with  all  his  passen- 
gers) told  Bailey  that  people  in  general  liked  to  ride 
across  the  bridge  in  their  carriage  going  over,  and  coming 
back  they  could  walk  on  top,  by  the  side  of  the  railroad 
track,  so  as  to  see  the  whole  bridge. 

At  this  moment  in  a  little  office  opposite  the  toll  office, 
Bailey  observed  a  man  examining  the  contents  of  a  valise 
which  a  gentleman  had  just  brought  in  his  hand  from  off 
the  bridge  and  from  the  Canada  side.  lie  also  noticed 
that  the  man  so  examining  it,  was  attempting  to  soften 
the  surprise  of  the  owner  by  saying :  "  Why,  my  dear 
sir,  I  don't  inspect  your  baggage  on  the  grounds  of  any 
suspicion  that  you  are  actually  smuggling ;  but  this  is 
the  rule  of  the  custom-house,  with  every  one." 

"  I  don't  believe  any  such  nonsense ! "  replied  the  man 
with  the  valise,  "  and  I  don't  care  about  being  humbugged 
in  this  way  by  officers  that  want  to  show  a  little  of  their 
brief  authority,  looking  at  my  old  clothes." 


! 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


157 


This  was  the  first  customs  business  which  Biiiley  had 
ever  seen  done ;  and  he  suddenly  concluded  that  he  would 
like  to  stop  and  have  a  little  talk  with  the  officer,  and 
look  about  the  bridge.  So  he  informed  the  driver  that 
he  would  not,  probably,  go  to  the  falls  on  the  Canada 
side  that  day,  and  proceeded"  to  get  out  of  the  carriage. 
He  then  asked  the  driver  how  much  he  should  pay  him. 

"About  a  dollar  and  a  half,  sir,"  said  the  driver. 

"All  right,"  said  Bailey,  but  as  he  handed  out  the 
money  he  again  silently  thought  of  Smith's  livery  in 
Fallington,  and  although  the  driver  had  made  only  the 
usual  charge  allowed  by  the  authorities,  and  Bailey  saw 
that  he  could  only  blame  himself  for  not  having  made  a 
definite  agreement  for  the  distance  he  had  allowed  the 
driver  to  serve  him,  yet  judging  from  Smith's  livery  in 
Fallington,  he  believed  that  this  driver  had  overcharged 
him,  and  yet  he  rath(?r  admired  his  shrewdness.  Then 
Bailey  thought  suddenly  of  a  stroke  of  policy.  It  was  a 
common  saying  of  his,  that  "no  matter  how  good  a  man's 
cause  is,  it  needs  good  management,  and  even  good 
principles  on  this  planet  can  not  afford  to  lose  sight 
of  shrewd  policy !" 

It  occurred  to  Ben  that  he  needed,  or  at  least  might 
need,  the  friendship  of  just  such  a  fellow  on  the  frontier 
as  this  odd  character,  and  so  he  told  him  in  a  smiling 
way,  that  he  would  like  a  little  private  conversation  with 
him. 

At  this  the  driver  turned  his  team  a  little  one  side,  and 
Bailey  beckoned  to  him  in  a  confidential  way,  which 
caused   the   driver  to  descend   from  his  carriage,  when 


fli 


-I 


■m 


■  ■■■■.  i 


W::. 


r 


' 


't  ii 


m 

T! ' 


158 


A    STORY    OF    NIAOAUA. 


Bjiiloy  proceeded  to  astonish  him,  by  saying  in  a  low 
tone : 

"  Well,  driver,  your  infernal  shrewdness  convinces  me 
that  you  are  just  the  fellow  to  help  me,  for  good  pay,  in  a 
little  jmvate  business  that  I  propose  to  do.  Perhaps  I 
can  turn  a  little  money  into  your  pocket  if  you  can  help 
me.  I  don't  want  a  man  that  has  got  any  conscience, 
and  I  am  satisfied  you  would  suit  me,"  said  Bailey,  with 
a  peculiar  smile  which  rather  pleased  the  driver. 

"What  in  the  name  of  Jchosoi')hat  do  you  mean?" 
whispered  the  driver. 

By  this  time  Bailey  had  again  opened  his  pockot-book, 
and  the  driver  observing  him  to  take  out  a  two  dollar 
greenback,  changed  his  smile  from  a  doubtful  expression 
to  one  of  evident  satisfaction,  which  Bailey  was  careful 
to  observe — to  read  his  man. 

"  There,"  said  Bailey,  putting  the  money  into  the  driv- 
er's hand,  "  that  is  your  first  instalment ;  call  it  for  what 
you  please." 

"All  right,"  said  the  driver,  "every  man  has  got  his 
price!  and  I  am  of  course  no  exception  to  that  rule." 

"  I  expect  to  stay  around  here  some  months,  so  there 
will  be  time  enough,  driver,  to  arrange  particulars. 
Where  can  I  see  you  ?  " 

"  I  drive  for  Mr.  Gulliver ;  here  is  his  card  ;  he  can  tell 
you  where  I  live.  But,  say !  if  I  can  get  a  passenger 
here  in  a  little  while,  I'm  going  across  to  the  falls  on  the 
Canada  side,  and  you  can  go  along  and  I  won't  charge 
you  a  cent  more.     Honest,  I  won't ! " 

"  I'll  see ;  perhaps  I  will  go.  But,  driver,  do  carriages 
cross  this  bridge  at  all  hours  during  the  night?" 


A    STOltY    OF    NIAGARA. 


159 


'Of  course  tlicy  do,   same  as  tliey  do  on  any  other 
road,"  said  the  driver. 

"And  you  arc  an  old  guide? — })crfectly  posted  on  Lolli 
sides  of  the  river,  arc  you?"  said  Ben,  in  a  confidential 
tone. 

"Of  course  I  am,"  whispered  back  the  driver,  "and  I 
know  exactly  where  to  drive  to.  But  you  must  pay  for 
the  wine  and  take  care  of  yourself,  too,  if  that's  what 
you  mean  1 " 

"  I  don't  exactly  understand  you,"  said  Bailey. 

"And  perhaps  I  don't  you,"  replied  the  driver,  who 
took  Bailey  to  be  a  fast  young  man,  with  plenty  of  money 
to  waste  in  dissipation  on  a  spree  at  the  Falls  I 

"  Well,  it's  no  matter  whether  I  understand  you,"  said 
Bailey.  "  I  want  you  to  understand  me ;  will  you  keep 
a  secret?" 

"  I  will,  sir,  if  I  am  paid  for  it ! " 

"  Well,  you  have  found  me  liberal  to  begin  with. 
Now  tell  me  how  is  the  best  way  for  me  to  get  some  silk 
dress  goods  across  from  Canada  without  paying  this  infer- 
nal duty  of  sixty  per  cent,  in  gold." 

"Well,  I  'spose  I  know  a  few  of  the  tricks — been 
about  here  long  enough — been  a  guide  and  a  hackman 
ten  or  eleven  years  about  here — and  smuggling  isn't  a 
thing  that's  very  scarce  in  these  parts.  And  it's  nothing 
very  wrong,  as  I  can  see.  If  'tis,  I  happen  to  know  that 
the  richest  of  them  will  smuggle  silks  a  dum  sight  quicker 
than  any  hack-driver !  But  I  don't  calkerlate  to  risk  this 
carriage  in  the  business,  no  how ;  for  Mr.  Gulliver  is  a 
straight-forward  man  —  the  man  that  owns  this  car- 
riage is." 


I..!,.' 


i1 


IHO 


A    STOJ{V    OF    MAG  A  11  A. 


!•  :« 


'\i 


''  Well,   perhaps  you   know   some   better  way,"  said 
Bailey. 

"No,   not  that;  I  mean well — management!     Yo 


SCO,  sni)})Osc  now,  yourself  and  lady " 

"  lUit  I  haven't  got  any  lady  ! "  interrupted  Baiky. 

"Well,  couldn't  ye  get  one,  if  'twas  necessary?  I'm 
srqjposM  a  easel  Suppose  yourself  and  lady — all  the 
better  if  there  was  two  of  'em — were  stoppin'  here  at  a 
first  class  house,  say  like  the  Monteagle,  right  there  in 
sight,  and  suppose  you  hire  me  with  a  splendid  carriage 
to  take  you  across  on  the  Canada  side  to  see  the  falls  and 
Table  Eoek,  or  what  there  is  left  of  it  since  it  tumbled 
down ;  well,  suppose  the  women  (ladies,  of  course,)  go 
into  any  hotel  wdiere  youv'e  got  the  silk  all  ready — 
couldn't  a  lady  tie  a  whole  piece  of  silk  around  her  just 
as  easy  as  she  could  a  big  hoop  skirt,  or  an  old  fashion 
bustle?  Jehosophat!  I  should  like  to  know  if  she 
couldnt!''^ 

"  Yes,  I  see,"  said  Bailey. 

"Well,  'spose  you  paid  me  ten  dollars  for  tak in' you 
over  there  and  back,  you  don't  think  I'd  be  fool  enough 
to  know  anything  about  it,  do  you?  Not  if  the  court 
know  herself,  and  she  think  she  do,  as  Esquire  Dickens 
always  says  when  he  declines  a  small  marriage  fee — 
because  it's  too  small ! " 

"Exactly  so,"  said  Bailey,  smiling,  "and  yet  I  prefer 
to  wait  till  I  see  you  get  some  others  safe  across  in  that 
way  ;  of  course  I  must  be  cautious,  Mr.  driver." 


CHAPTEK    XVI. 


More  Experience  at  Niagara— Eloquence  of  the  Guide— Interestins  Mutters— Queer 
place  for  a  Suicide,  a  Murder  and  a  Wedding— Accidents— Cholera,  etc. 

The  driver  with  whom  Ben  Baik^y  was  engaged  in  a 
low  conversation,  though  eagerly  listening  to  tlic  propo- 
sition about  smuggling,  at  the  same  time  was  on  the 
wjiteh  for  passengers  for  his  carriage.  In  a  little  time 
the  driver  noticed  a  gentleman  and  lady  whom  he  knew 
to  be  strangers  from  the  interest  they  manifested  in  look- 
ing at  the  bridge,  so  he  asked  in  his  professional  way : 

"Have  a  carriage  to  go  around  and  see  the  Falls,  sir? 
and  the  Whirlpool  on  the  Canada  side,  sir?" 

"I  hardly  think  we  shall  have  time,"  replied  the  stran- 
ger, in  a  good-natured  way.  We've  only  an  hour  or  two 
to  look  around  before  we  are  to  take  the  cars  for  the 
West." 

"  That  will  be  plenty  of  time,  sir,  if  you  take  a  car- 
riage, sir.  Take  you  to  the  falls  on  the  Canada  side  or 
on  this  side,  either,  for  a  couple  of  dollars,"  continued 
the  driver. 

"Well,  if  you  can  get  us  back  in  time  to  take  the  next 
train  for  the  West,  I  guess  we  will  go  across  the  bridge 
and  up  to  the  falls  on  the  Canada  side,  and  then  to  the 
Whirlpool,"  said  the  old  gentleman. 


■J  !•    ' 


!       ■  '  *■ 


162 


A    STOKY    OF    MIAGAKA. 


"All  right,  get  right  aboard,"  said  the  driver,  opening 
the  door  of  the  carriage — "plenty  of  time !  " 

The  two  new  passengers  took  seats  in  the  carriage; 
the  driver  closed  the  door,  and  got  a  chance  to  whisper 
to  Bailey:  "It's  all  right  between  you  and  me;  get 
aboard  —on  the  seat  with  me.  I  see  you  intend  to  go  in 
for  your  line  of  business,  and  you  see  I  understand  mine 
in  every  department  of  it" 

"Exactly  so,"  said  Bailey,  with  a  significant  smile, 
while  he  gave  the  driver  a  familiar  hunch  with  his  elbow, 
as  if  they  had  been  smugglers  of  old  acquaintance ! 

In  a  moment  longer  the  carriage  was  before  the  toll 
office,  and  Bailey  on  the  seat  with  the  driver.  The  driver 
whispered  to  Bailey  to  pay  the  toll-man  twenty-five  cents, 
which  Bailey  did,  and  asked  no  questions.  The  toll-man 
tlicn  informed  the  clever  old  gentleman  in  the  carriage 
that  the  toll  was  "one  dollar." 

"IIow  is  that?"  said  the  passenger. 

Bailey  himself  having  just  paid  twenty-five  cents  for 
his  own  toll,  was  a  little  curious  too,  to  know  the  mean- 
ing of  the  one  dollar  charge. 

The  driver  fearing  that  the  high  rate  of  toll  might 
break  up  the  prospect  of  his  bargain,  informed  his  pas- 
sengers of  the  fact  that  that  paid  for  coming  back  also. 

"  Do  you  charge  a  half  dollar  each  for  passengers  to 
cross  this  bridge  and  return  ?  "  asked  the  old  gentleman. 

The  gate-keeper  explained  that  the  toll  was  "twenty- 
five   cents  for   each   passenger,  and  fifty  cents  for  the 


carriage. 


"See  here!  driver,"  said  the  clever  old  man,   "you 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


163 


have  made  a  contract  to  take  us  to  the  falls  and  back  on 
the  Canada  side  for  'two  dollars.'  Now  I  suppose  it 
belongs  for  you  to  do  as  you  agreed,  wliicli  you  was 
aware  you  could  not  do  without  paying  this  toll.  So 
what  have  I  to  do  about  the  toll  ?  " 

"  Why,  passengers  always  do  pay  their  own  toll,"  said 
the  driver.  "  So  you  see  I  couldn't  have  thought  notliin' 
about  takin'  any  advantage  of  you ! '' 

"  How  innocent ! "  thought  Bailey. 

"  Yes,  that  is  the  custom,"  said  the  toll-man. 

"  Yes !  and  some  mighty  queer  customs,  too,  travelers 
find  that  ever  traveled  much.  But  sometimes  I  think,  as 
I  did  about  this  war,  that  it's  best  to  endure  all  manner 
of  evils,  as  they  come,  than  it  is  to  fight  ourselves  out  of 
one  trouble  into  a  dozen  others !  So  here  is  your  dollar 
for  toll ! " 

"Driver,  how  long  is  this  bridge?"  inquired  the  clever 
old  man. 

"Eight  hundred  feet,  sir." 

"  Pretty  big  toll,  but  a  magnificent  structure ! "  said 
the  stranger,  as  they  entered  upon  the  floor  of  the  bridge 
which  was  tightly  covered  overhead,  but  open  like  net- 
work at  the  sides. 

"Driver,  what  was  the  cost  of  this  bridge?"  inquired 
Bailey. 

"About  four  hundred  thousand  dollars  in  1855,  when 
money  was  like  gold,"  said  the  driver. 

"  Hark ! "  said  the  lady,  "  what  is  that  overhead  ? 
Why,  that's  the  cars,  isn't  it?  I'm  afraid  to  go  while 
the  cars  are  over  our  heads ! " 


i 


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it 


164 


A    STOKY    OF    NIAGARA. 


"0,  that's  notliin',''  said  the  driver,  "there's  freight  or 
passenger  cars  or  engines  goin'  over  almost  all  the  while." 

"  Why,  it  sounds  ^o  frigJitful !  ''^  said  the  lady. 

"Yes,"  said  the  driver,  "till  ye  get  a  little  used  to  it. 
There  was  a  feller  riding  here  with  ine  the  other  day  that 
said  it  sounded  to  him  very  much  like  distant  thu7idcr 
close  hy  f^ 

"  Don't  the  bridge  sag  any,  when  there's  a  neavy  train 
on?"  inquired  the  stranger. 

"  They  used  to  tell  that  story  to  make  passengers  go 
some  other  route ;  but  it  don't  sag  more'n  it  allers  did. 
It  kinder  has  a  little  mite  of  sag  where  the  train  is,  and 
a  little  mite  of  rise  where  the  train  isn't !  But  it's 
stouter'n  Jehosophat !  this  bridge  is.  May  be  you  would 
like  to  hear  me  tell  you  something  'bout  this  bridge  that's 
mighty  queer.  "Well,  in  the  winter  it  arches  itself  right 
up  in  the  center  twenty  inches  higher  than  'tis  in  the 
summer  time.  Looking  out  there  to  the  left,  would  you 
think  them  Niagara  Falls  was  two  miles  off?  Well,  they 
be,  and  right  under  this  bridge  it's  two  hundred  and  fifty 
feet  down  to  the  water.  And  there's  a  water-wheel  down 
there  with  a  long  shaft  that  turns  the  flour-mill,  just  by 
the  toll-office  there.  Now  look  through  the  other  side  of 
the  bridge,  down  stream.  Do  you  see  how  awful  rough 
them  rapids  is  ?  Well,  do  you  'spose  any  boat  ever  went 
through  there  with  any  live  man  on  it  ?  " 

Ti.        "sengers  presumed  not. 

"  vv  uil,  as  true  as  Jehosophat !  there  was  once  three 
live  men  went  down  through  them  rapids  on  a  little 
steamboat.    You  see  there  was  a  small  steamboat  built, 


the 


went 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


165 


and  used  for  a  pleasure  and  ferry-boat,  where  the  river  is 
pretty  smooth,  just  above  here,  and  close  below  the  falls; 
but  when  this  bridge  was  built  it  didn't  pay  to  run  the 
boat,  so  one  day  it  absconded  down  through  them  ra})ids 
to  get  away  from  a  mortgage,  where  it  could  run  in  Cana- 
dian waters  on  Lake  Ontario.  Mr.  J.  R  Robinson,  the 
man  the  guide-books  tell  of  doing  such  daring  things 
about  the  falls  and  rapids,  was  the  captain  on  that  trip, 
but  nobody  but  the  current  was  boss;  Robinson  himself 
was  thrown  hilter-skilter,  and  the  smoke-pipe  went  to  the 
deuce,  and  evciything  tumbled  through  like  Jimminet- 
tce!" 

"  Driver,  is  all  this  true,  you  are  telling  ? '' 

"  Of  course  'tis,  it's  no  use  for  drivers  to  tell  big  stories 
about  what  happened  here,  lately ;  but  when  it's  some- 
thing further  olF,  we  have  to  tell  it  just  as  we  get  it ! " 

"  Right  about  the  middle  of  the  bridge  once,  about 
sundown,  there  was  a  man  murdered." 

"  Bless  my  soul ! "  exclaimed  the  lady,  "  what !  some- 
body murdered  right  here,  on  this  very  bridge ! " 

'*  Yes,  and  the  folks  had  a  talk  around  that  the  feller 
was  goin'  to  get  clear  'cause  they  couldn't  tell  whicli 
country  had  the  right  to  haitg  him !  for,  don't  you  see, 
one-half  of  the  bridge  is  in  Canada  and  tother  half  is  in 
the  United  States.  But  at  last  he  settled  the  whole  mat- 
ter himself." 

"Why,  how  could  he  settle  a  murder?" 

"  By  jest  dying  in  jail." 

"What  was  the  murder  for?"  asked  the  old  gentle- 
man. 


I    5 


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tit: 


166 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


"  O,  tlicy  were  partners,  and  both  too  mean  to  live ; 
and  one  of  tliem  got  so  mad  he  thought  so,  and  killed 
liis  partner  for  the  privilege  of  being  hung  himself!  The 
way  'twas,  when  one  stole  anything  he  wouldn't  divide ! " 

"And  another  awful  thing  happened  here.  An  old 
resident — I  knew  him  well — picked  out  the  very  center 
of  this  bridge,  on  the  north  side  of  it,  and  sat  down  on 
that  railing,  and  waited  until  two  of  his  neighbors  came 
along,  and  then  after  talking  with  them  a  few  moments, 
he  suddenly  sprang  from  them  and  leaped  off  into  the 
rapids !  You  can't  imagine  what  awful  feelings  them  two 
friends?  of  his  had  as  they  watched  him  falling  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet !  They  say  it  took  four  seconds,  and 
they  heard  him  strike  the  water." 

A  few  questions  from  the  passengers,  and  at  last  to  the 
great  relief  of  the  lady,  the  carriage  had  passed  the  bridge ; 
the  driver  had  handed  the  tickets  to  the  toll-man  at  the 
Canadian  end  of  the  bridge,  and  had  reported  "nothing 
aboard  dutiable,"  to  the  officer  of  Canadian  customs. 
He  then  drove  up  the  carriage  road  close  by  the  higli 
bank  of  the  river,  which  was  the  usually  traveled  road 
to  the  Clifton  Ilouse,  the  Museum,  Table  Rock,  and  the 
falls  on  the  Canadian  side,  and  the  Burning  Spring  and 
the  battle  ground. 

"Yes,  and  there  was  a  love  story  happened  on  the 
bridge  three  or  four  years  ago,"  continued  the  driver. 
"You  know  those  three  things,  love,  murder  and  sidcide, 
do  get  mixed  sometimes." 

"  A  love  story  on  the  bridge  ?  "  said  Bailey. 

"What  kind  of  a  happen  was  that?"  said  the  lady; 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


167 


"and  why  didn't  you  tell  us  that  story  while  we  were  on 
the  bridge,  instead  of  such  horrid  things  ?  " 

"Well,  there  was  a  couple  (a  feller  and  a  girl)  who 
came  here  from  way  off  in  Toronto,  or  Hamilton,  or 
somewhere  else  in  Canada,  and  got  a  United  States  min- 
ister, one  of  the  preachers  here,  to  come  out  on  the  bridge 
and  marry  him  and  his  girl." 

"  Quite  romantic  ! "  said  the  clever  old  man. 

"  May  be  that  was  it,  and  may  be  he  wanted  to  puzzle 
the  lawyers,"  said  the  driver,  "on  jurisdiction,  in  case  he 
hadn't  no  right  to  marry  the  girl ! " 

"  Bless  my  soul  I  what  won't  folks  think  of? "  re- 
marked the  lady. 

"Talk  about  getting  married,"  said  the  driver,  "you 
ought  to  see  what  a  host  of  Canadian  couples  come  across 
tins  bridge  to  the  American  side  to  get  married,  'cause 
the  justices  nor  the  American  ministers  don't  make  no 
bother  marrying  folks,  but  in  Canada  they  have  to  get 
Hcenses  and  advertise,  and  you  know  some  folks  get  off 
the  notion  before  that  time  ! " 

"Driver,  how  did  they  manage  to  get  the  bridge  across 
this  place  ?  " 

"  They  sent  the  first  of  it  over  with  a  kite — I  mean 
they  got  the  first  string  across  with  a  kite — and  then 
drew  the  first  wire  over  by  that  string.  When  they 
was  windin'  wire  around  them  big  wire  cables  that  reach 
across  the  river  over  the  four  stone  towers  that  the  bridge 
hangs  on  to,  by  the  wire  rope  suspenders,  there  was  two 
of  the  men  fell  off  the  scaffold." 

"Bless  me!  and  they  was  drowned,  weren't  they?" 
said  the  lady. 


1' 
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168 


A    STOUY    OF    NIAOAliA. 


"Drowned!  I  rather  think  they  was!  In  the  first 
place,  they  were  killed  a  falling  so  far ;  and  then  they 
were  killed  by  striking  the  rocks  on  the  slope  of  the 
bank  afore  they  got  into  the  river ;  and  then  tlie  rapids 
finished  'em  by  'drowning'  'em,  or  tearing  every  rag  of 
their  clothes  off;  as  it  always  does^  if  anybody  is  ever 
found  after  falling  into  any  of  these  rapids — which  some- 
times they  ain't." 

"It's  a  wonder,"  said  Bailey,  "if  there  were  no  more 
accidents,  building  a  bridge  over  such  a  place ! " 

"I  believe  there  wasn't,  though,"  replied  the  driver. 
"  But  there  was  something  here,  afore  they  finished  the 
bridge,  a  great  deal  worse  than  accidents !  In  these  two 
little  villages,  (each  side  of  the  river,)  there  was  over  a 
hundred  died  witb  tbe  cholera ;  and  half  the  folks  that 
wasn't  dead  left  the  place.  There  was  a  whole  family  of 
three  died  in  one  Irish  shanty  on  the  Canada  side,  and 
the  folks  around  it  was  so  scart  they  actually  burnt  the 
shanty  with  the  bodies  in  it !  as  they  were  afraid  to  carry 
the  bodies  to  bury  them  ! " 

"  Was  that  really  so  ?  "  interrupted  the  old  gentleman. 

"  Why,  that  was  awful ! "  exclaimed  the  lady. 

"It's  as  true  as  Jehosophat!"  said  the  driver,  "for 
wliat  I've  told  you,  so  far,  is  what  I  have  known  myself, 
since  I've  been  a  guide  about  these  falls.  I  know  it 
individually !  And  what's  more,  I  had  the  cholera  my- 
self, and  was  dead  more'n  two  hours,  or ' 


u 


Hold  on  driver ! "  said  the  old  gentleman. 
"Whoa!  "  said  the  driver  to  his  horses,  pulling  up  on 
the  reins. 


A    STORY   OF   NIAGARA. 


169 


"  No,  no,  not  stop  your  horses,"  said  the  ohl  gentleman 
with  a  hearty  laugh,  "but  do  you  really  think  you  were 
dead  two  hours?" 

The  driver  loosened  his  reins,  snapped  his  whi^),  and 
replied,  joining  the  passengers  in  the  laugh : 

"Two  hours,  if  at  all;  at  any  rate,  I  was  coUa2)sed ; 
and  all  of  'em  said  I  was  good  as  dead ;  and  I  know  I 
wasn't  live  enough  to  know  it,  if  I  wasn't  dead  I  I  guess 
I  would  have  died  any  how,  if  it  hadn't  been  for  some- 
tliing  that  cured  me  just  at  the  last  minute ! " 

But  we  have  other  things  to  notice,  and  we  must  omit 
what  further  took  place  on  this  ride ;  simply  saying  that 
the  rest  of  Benjamin  Bailey's  experience  this  day  was 
similar  to  that  of  thousands  who  visit  Niagara  Falls. 

8 


;np 


]m 


CHAPTEK  XVII. 

Benjamin  and  the  Collector  of  Customs— A  Ramble  on  the  bank  of  Niagara— Meet- 
ing Black-legs— Benjamin  charged  with  a  crime— The  Mysterious  Witness— Laugh- 
able Impudence. 

It  was  near  dusk  wben  Benjamin  Bailey  returned  to 
the  Niagara  Falls  depot  and  transferred  his  baggage  to 
the  Cataract  House.  The  day's  events,  its  interest  and 
its  excitement,  had  left  him  neither  opportunity  nor  appe- 
tite for  a  meal  at  tea-time ;  but  he  immediately  went  to 
his  room,  where  he  occupied  the  evening  in  writing  letters 
home  to  his  friends ;  not  forgetting  to  inclose  a  sprig  of 
cedar  as  a  relic  plucked  from  the  bank  of  Niagara. 

His  journey  by  railroad,  and  his  first  impressions  of 
the  Falls  and  its  surroundings,  drew  him  into  lengthy 
epistles ;  and,  even  Gulliver's  driver,  not  only  as  a  char- 
acter himself,  but  on  account  of  the  incidents  he  had 
related,  was  given  a  special  paragraph  among  the  matters 
of  interest  in  Benjamin's  first  day's  experience  at  the 
Falls. 

And  for  the  benefit  of  the  reader,  we  will  here  state 
that  all  the  incidents  which  Gulliver's  driver  related  on 
that  occasion,  so  far  as  we  have  recorded  them,  were  sub- 
stantially correct,  if  we  except  his  account  of  having 
once  "had  the  cholera  himself,  and  been  dead  with  it 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


171 


more  tlinn  two  Lours,"  wliich  latter  incident,  if  it  ever 
(lid  occur  in  the  experience  of  Mr.  Gulliver's  driver — or 
of  any  other  person — wc  have  no  knowledge  of  the  facts, 
though  we  were  at  the  Falls  during  the  cholera  season  of 
1854,  and  well  recollect  the  incident  of  the  three  bodies 
hurncd  in  the  Irish  shanty,  on  the  Canada  side  of  the 
river. 

After  two  or  three  da3^s  spent  as  a  visitor  about  the 
Falls,  though  keeping  his  eyes  open  to  his  prospective 
business  as  a  detective,  Benjamin  Bailey  reported  for 
duty,  and  special  instructions,  to  the  collector  of  customs; 
on  which  occasion,  as  he  approached  the  door  of  the 
collector's  office,  he  observed  a  man  just  leaving  the  office 
in  an  opposite  direction.  He  only  caught  a  glimpse  of 
the  man's  face,  but  was  almost  certain  he  had  seen  him 
somewhere,  before;  but  did  not  quite  identify  him  as 
George  Bedan,  his  smuggling  friend,  whose  acquaintance 
he  had  made  on  the  cars !  When  Bailey  entered  the 
office  the  collector  was  busy  signing  some  papers  as  they 
were  handed  him  by  his  deputy.  Benjamin,  before 
speaking,  waited  a  few  moments  till  he  caught  the  col- 
lector's attention. 

Their  eyes  no  sooner  met  than  they  recognized  each 
other.  It  was  not  the  recognition,  however,  of  persons 
acquainted,  and  yet  they  knew  more  of  each  other  than 
at  this  moment  they  were  conscious  of;  for  Mr.  Baldwin 
and  the  collector  were  personal  as  well  as  political  friends ; 
and  it  was  by  a  mutual  understanding  between  them  that 
Benjamin  Bailey  had  been  appointed  as  the  friend  of 
Mr.  Baldwin.     But  the  collector  this  moment  recognizes 


■     4 


172 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


Ill  I  III 


Bailey  only  as  the  stranger  who  extended  to  himself  and 
Deacon  SoniinerH  the  courtesy  referred  to  on  the  cars. 
But  this  was  an  introduction  for  which  they  who  arc 
careless  of  the  smallest  acts  of  kindness  and  courtesy, 
may  he  more  than  repaid  the  cost  of  this  volume,  if 
Benjamin  Bailey's  act  in  this  one  instance  shall  remind 
them  to  perform  similar  acts  of  kindness,  which  surely 
will  in  the  end,  result  in  their  own  hap})iness  as  well 
as  that  of  others.  And  Bailey  recognizes  the  gentleman 
whom  he  now  suspects  may  be  the  collector,  as  being  one 
of  two  strangers  to  whom  he  gave  up  his  scat  in  the  cars. 

"  May  I  inquire,  sir,"  said  Bailey,  addressing  the  man 
ho  thus  recognized,  "  if  the  collector  of  customs  is  pres- 
ent?" 

"I  am  the  person  you  refer  to;  take  a  seat,  sir,"  said 
he,  with  a  good-natured  smile  of  recognition,  "I  shall  be 
at  liberty  in  just  a  moment." 

"Any  time,  at  your  convenience,  Mr.  Collector,"  Ben- 
jamin replied,  taking  a  chair. 

After  signing  his  name  to  a  few  more  papers  the  col- 
lector approached  Bailey,  saying :  "Isn't  this  the  gentle- 
man who  gave  us  the  seat  in  the  cars  the  other  day  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  remember  seeing  you  on  the  cars,  but  had 
no  idea  then,"  said  Bailey,  with  a  smile  of  surprise,  "  that 
you  were  the  collector  of  customs  to  whom  I  had  a  letter 
of  introduction  from  the  Hon.  Mr.  Lyman  Baldwin, 
through  whose  kindness,  together  with  your  own,  sir,  I 
have  the  honor  to  report  to  you  for  duty."  And  Benja- 
min had  scarcely  finished  his  reply  before  he  had  pre- 
sented the  letter  to  the  collector. 


A   STORY    OF   NIAOAUA.  173 

"  All,  indeed  !     Is  lliia  ^fr.  DnWoy  ?  " 

"That  is  my  name,  sir." 

Tiic  coUcetor  expressed  his  pleasure  at  seeing  liiin,  and 
introdueed  him  to  his  C  puty  as  a  new  oflicer  for  the 
seeret  scrviee.  The  deputy  and  Bailey  entered  into  eon- 
vcrsation  and  the  col  lee  tor  read  the  letter  from  Mr. 
Baldwin. 

"  Kingsley,"  said  the  collector,  addressing  the  deputy, 
"  have  we  any  news  of  the  smugglers  at  Youngstown  ?  " 

"  Nothing,  besides  the  kegs  of  whisky  seized  last  night 
ill  Mr.  Chewbrick's  sail-boat." 

"Mr.  Bailey,"  said  the  collector,  "are  you  acquainted 
with  any  of  the  places  along  the  Niagara  Kivcr?" 

"  Only  what  I  have  seen  since  arriving  here  on  Tues- 
day ;  have  never  been  in  this  section  before ;  but  in  some 
respects  I  hope  that  may  be  an  advantage ;  it  may  help 
me  to  appear  all  the  more  natural,  if  I  am  inquisitive 
among  the  smugglers." 

"  Yes,  we  can  sometimes  take  advantage  of  a  misfor- 
tune," replied  the  collector,  smiling. 

"If,"  said  Benjamin,  "it  prove  a  misfortune,  I  must  at 
least  see  that  it  does  not  get  unnecessary  advantage  of 
me." 

The  collector,  after  a  little  general  conversation — very 
little,  for  he  was  a  man  of  executive  ability,  not  words — 
gave  him  some  special  instructions,  and  requested  him  to 
call  again  the  next  day  at  two  o'clock,  when  he  would 
introduce  him  to  an  officer  who  had  been  in  the  scci'ct 
service  two  or  three  years.  "  Mr.  Bedan  knows  all  the 
smugglers  that  own  boats,  and  he  can  post  you  up  about 


M 


•:  [,■ 


wh^ 


174 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


'I' 


\  h] 


tliem,  as  well  as  the  tricl^s  wliicli  others  plaj  to  defraiul 
the  revenue." 

As  the  collector  mentioned  Sedan's  name,  Bailey  was 
on  the  point  of  asking  the  detective's  Christian  name. 
Then  it  flashed  across  his  mind  that  the  man  whom  he 
had  just  seen  leaving  the  ofiice  was  dressed  like  the 
Bedan  he  had  talked  with  on  the  cars,  and  had  taken  to 
be  a  smuggler.  He  was  of  the  same  size,  his  clothes  of 
the  same  color,  same  style,  and  his  side  whiskers  were 
the  same.  It  was  he,  without  the  least  doubt.  But 
Bailey  did  not  deem  it  best  to  introduce  a  subject  to  the 
collector,  which  he  and  Bedan  both,  might  think  involved 
a  joke  to  be  kept  between  themselves — for  both  had 
been  equally  deceived ! 

When  Bailey  left  the  collector's  office  he  rambled  along 
the  river  bank  on  his  way  back  to  the  Cataract  House. 
On  entering  a  small  piece  of  woods,  about  three-quarters 
of  a  mile  from  the  Falls,  he  fell  in  company  with  a  stran- 
ger, with  whom  in  a  little  time,  he  became  quite  sociable. 
They  admired  the  scenery  together.  When  the  stranger 
foT-^d  Bailey  was  from  the  country,  he  thought  there  was 
no  oasiness  like  farming;  he  had  always  followed  it;  ho 
owned  a  nice  farm  out  West ;  he  believed,  too,  that  the 
farming  community  were  more  independent  and  more 
honest  than  any  other  class  of  people. 

Ilad  Benjamin  possessed  the  experience  of  some  old 
police  officers,  he  would  have  been  at  least  more  likely  to 
have  thought  of  a  class  of  traveling  pick-pockets  and 
swindlers,  who  make  their  occasional  visits  to  Niagara 
Falls,  as  well  as  other  places  of  foshionable  resort — and 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


175 


would  have  looked  more  critically  at  liis  new  companion ; 
in  which  case  the  Western  farmer's  hands  would  have 
looked  to  Bailey  more  like  following  some  "light- 
fingered"  business  than  "holding  the  plow  1 " 

As  it  was,  there  was  nothing  in  the  appearance  of  the 
stranger  that  inclined  Bailey  to  suspect  that  he  might  he 
other  than  what  he  pretended ;  nor,  did  he  even  think  of 
swindlers,  pick-pockets  or  robbers !  What  if  the  stran- 
ger was  loitering  about  that  little  strip  of  woods  that  one 
could  almost  see  through  ?  Wasn't  there  just  as  good  an 
apparent  honest  object  for  one  stranger  to  be  there  as 
another?  Wasn't  Bailey  there  himself  to  admire  the 
sceneiy  and  enjoy  the  grove? 

They  had  just  passed  through  the  strip  of  woods 
towards  the  falls  and  the  village,  when  they  met  a  man 
with  a  small  valise,  who,  in  fact,  was  a  confederate  of 
the  first  stranger,  and  both  were  black-legs.  The  second 
stranger  made  some  inquiries,  such  as  any  stranger  might 
be  likely  to  make.  "  Could  either  of  the  two  gentlemen 
tell  him  what  the  short  canal,  which  seemed  to  have  no 
other  present  use  than  to  make  an  island  of  the  village 
of  Niagara  Falls,  was  intended  for?" 

Respecting  the  canal,  Bailey  had  himself  made  inqui- 
ries concerning  it,  and  was  able  to  tell  him,  that  It  was 
intended  to  furnish  water-power  for  manufacturing  pur- 
poses, but  after  expending  three  or  four  hundred  thousand 
dollars  upon  it,  it  had  ever  since  lain  idle. 

"Ah,  indeed!  Well,  gentlemen,"  said  the  man  with 
the  little  valise,  as  he  opened  it,  "let  me  show  you  an 
imurovement  which  I  think  onr  of  the  greatest  discov- 


V;  i 


I 


1        I  m 

1 

^ 

176 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


eries  of  the  age.  Of  course  you  need  not  buy  it  if  you 
don't  choose  to." 

"On  those  conditions,"  said  Bailey,  "of  course  I  can 
have  no  objections  to  looking  at  what  you  wish  to  show, 
sir." 

"  I  have  but  little  time  to  spare,"  said  the  Western 
farmer,  "  as  I  wish  to  meet  a  friend  at  the  Cataract  House." 

The  man  then  took  a  vial  from  his  valise,  which  he 
said  was  a  composition  for  silver  plating.  He  proceeded 
to  show  what  lasting  wonders  it  had  wrought,  and  could 
be  made  to  do,  as  he  said,  on  any  smooth  metal.  He 
silvered  over  a  brass  spoon  or  a  spoon  of  some  badly 
tarnished  metal,  which,  when  done,  he  declared  would 
last  ten  years  without  wearing  off! 

To  this,  however,  Bailey  ventured  to  suggest  a  proviso, 
"  that  it  be  kept  carefully  wrapped  in  a  soft  piece  of 
chamois  skin,  laid  away  h  a  dry  place,  and  carefully  left 
there." 

"  0,  no,  I  guess  that's  a  good  thing,"  said  the  "Western 
farm  "  man.     "  How  much  a  bottle  do  you  ask  for  it,  sir  ?  " 

"  One  dollar  for  the  four  ounce  vials,  and  fifty  cents  for 
the  two  runce,"  was  the  reply. 

"And  how  much  is  the  lowest  you  take?"  asked 
Bailey,  with  a  joking  smile. 

"  The  same  as  I  ask  for  it,  sir,"  returned  the  disguised 
black-leg. 

"  See  here,"  said  the  first  stranger  to  Bailey,  "  that  is  a 
good  thing,  no  mistake !  See !  you  can't  rub  it  off"  one 
mite ! " 

Bailey  looked  at  it;  tried  to  rub  it  off;  and  remarked 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


177 


that  "it  ajJj^cared  pretty  good,  but  it  would  take  some 
time  to  try  it  a  year  !  tliougli  perhaps  hot  dish-water,  or 
strong  vinegar  might  try  it  in  less  time,  pretty  well ! " 

''See  here,"  said  the  "silver-polish"  man  to  Bailey, 
"you  talk  as  if  hot  water,  or  vinegar,  could  joenetrate 
silver!" 

"0,  he's  only  joking,"  said  the  "Western  farm"  man. 
It's  no  doubt  a  good  thing ;  in  fact,  it  looks  like  some 
I've  tried  myself;  I  silvered  over  a  set  of  the  worst  look- 
ing spoons  you  ever  saw  and  an  old  teapot,  two  or  three 
years  ago,  and  they  look  as  good  as  genuine  silver  yet ! 
and  have  been  in  constant  use  ever  since.  It's  called  a 
big  discovery  in  our  section  ;  but  it's  hard  to  find  a  bottle 
of  it  now ;  and  I'll  buy  a  bottle  of  you." 

"  The  recipe  for  that  article  cost  me  a  hundred  dollars, 
and  I  know  it  is  good ;  and  when  a  man  tries  to  show 
just  ivhat  a  tiling  is,  and  you  can  see  it,  what  is  bhe  use  of 
thinking  everything  and  everybody  is  a  cheat  and  a  hum- 
bug?" said  the  "polish"  man,  showing  the  tarnished 
spoons  and  the  polished  ones  by  contrast. 

The  "Western  farm"  man  took  the  silver  plating  com- 
pound and  handed  the  "polish"  man  a  five  dollar  bill, 
which  he  looked  at  sharply,  and  then  asked  Bailey  if  it 
was  good. 

Bailey  looked  at  it,  but  said  he  was  no  judge  of  money ; 
which  was  precisely  what  these  two  black-legs  desired  to 
know. 

"  What  will  you  take  for  the  recipe  ?  "  asked  the  pre- 
tended farmer. 
8* 


'U 


•      K    '^  ^'.  ' 


■ ;.;  ill 
■f 


Will 


178 


A    STOllY    OF    NIAGARA. 


"I've  sold  a  good  many  recipes  for  twenty  dollars/' 
said  the  "polish"  man. 

Finally  a  bargain  was  made  at  fifteen  dollars.  But  on 
looking  in  his  pocket-book  tLa  "Western  farmer"  found 
he  would  have  to  give  him  a  fifty  dollar  bill  to  change. 

The  "silver  plate"  man  took  the  fifty  dollar  bill,  say- 
ing, "it's  a  good  bill,  but  I  haven't  got  money  enough 
with  me  to  change  it.  Perhaps  your  friend  here  can 
change  it,"  and  they  both  made  a  very  innocent  and 
inquiring  look  toward  Bailey. 

Bailey  hesitated  a  moment,  but  finally  said  "he  did 
not  like  to  change  such  large  bills,  for  the  reason  as  he 
had  already  told  them,  that  he  was  not  a  good  judge  of 
money ! " 

This  of  course  did  not  suit  the  plan  of  the  two  "confi- 
dence men ;"  for,  the  bill  was  a  counterfeit ;  and,  it  was 
their  business  to  pass  it.  But  they  had  gained  a  point ; 
they  found  he  had  money  with  him.  How  are  they  to 
get  it  of  a  man  so  cautious  ?  It  was  not  a  safe  hour  for 
robbery ;  though  one  or  two  instances  of  daylight  robbe- 
ries had  occurred  some  years  back  in  that  vicinity. 

"  If  this  gentleman  don't  like  to  risk  changing  the  bill 
I  will  get  it  changed,"  said  the  "farmer,"  "at  the  Cata- 
ract House,  where  I  am  stopping,  if  you  will  go  back  to 
the  village  with  me." 

"  Yes,  but  that  will  make  me  later  to  the  Suspension 
Bridge  than  I  like  to  be,"  objected  the  "polish"  man. 

"  Perhaps  you  would  cash  a  draft  of  fifty-one  dollars 
for  me?"  said  the  "farmer"  to  Bailey,  "and  I  can  ex- 
change back  with  you,  as  soon  as  we  get  to  the  Cataract 
House." 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


179 


This  game  of  getting  off  a  fraudulent  draft  as  security 
for  money,  for  "just  a  little  while,"  is  a  game  which  has 
been  successfully  tried  on  strangers  at  the  Falls  and  else- 
where, who  have  seen  and  read  too  little  for  reasonable 
caution. 

But  Bailey  declined  to  cash  the  draft,  giving  as  a 
reason  that  he  was  not  acquainted  with  the  parties ! 

Bailey's  new  companion  and  the  "polish"  man,  now, 
both  joined  in  cursing  out  an  opinion,  that  "no  man 
could  be  so  devilish  disobliging,  unless  he  was  some  out- 
rageous scoundrel,  that  didn't  want  to  show  what  kind  of 
money  he  carried ! " 

Suddenly  at  some  kind  of  signal,  understood  by  them- 
selves, they  both  sprang  to  their  feet,  and  each  presenting 
pistols  to  Bailey,  the  "Western  farm"  man  declared  "if 
he  stirred  hand  or  foot  they  would  blow  his  brains  out ;" 
for,  said  he,  "  since  I've  been  walking  with  you  back  herCi 
you've  picked  my  pockets,  and  that  is  why  j^ou  dare  not 
show  the  money  you've  got ! " 

"And  I  saw  you  do  itV  said  the  other. 

"  Eaise  your  hands  while  this  man  searches  you  for  my 
money,  or  you  are  a  dead  man — and  we  fling  you  over 
the  precipice ! "  said  the  innocent  farmer. 

"  Men,  I  am  unarmed,  and  of  course  in  your  power," 
said  Bailey,  who  had  carelessly  left  his  revolver  in  his 
trunk. 

The  "  polish  "  man  searched  Bailey  first  for  weapons ; 
finding  none,  he  took  his  money ;  but  returned  his  pocket- 
book  and  papers. 

"  Now  complain  of  us  and  we  complain  of  you.     Your 


! 


'm  f : 


[*■  ■■■' 


4 

Wv. 

■  '?'■ '     1 

• 

1:' 

I     1 ' 

■    '     •      i 

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180 


A   STORY    OF   NIAGARA. 


life  is  safe  till  you  make  comiilaint — and  wc  are  safe  if 
you  do  complaiu,  for  /  can  prove  you  took  mij  money  !  " 

At  this  moment  Bailey  saw  a  man  approaching  near 
them;  and,  for  a  moment  felt  a  sense  of  relief;  but  the 
next  moment  the  "Western"  man  astonished  Bailey  by 
calling  out  to  the  new  comer : 

"  Say  1  stranger,  perhaps  you  saw  this  young  man  pick 
my  pocket  back  there  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  did,  and  am  ready  to  swear  to  it ! " 

"  Well,  I've  got  my  money  back ! "  said  the  "farmer." 

"  If  such  witnesses  were  common,"  ventured  Bailey, 
"  law  might  as  well  be  abolished !  for  it  would  soon 
become  a  'remedy'  worse  than  any  disease ! " 

"I  bid  you  good  day,  sir,"  said  the  "Western  farm" 
man  to  Bailey,  as  he  walked  away  in  an  opposite  direc- 
tion from  the  Cataract  Ilouse. 

"  And  if  you  don't  want  to  buy  a  bottle  of  my  silver 
plating  compound,  I  may  as  well  be  going,  too,"  said  the 
other,  as  he  walked  off  with  the  "farm"  man.  "But, 
say !  you  better  have  a  bottle,  it  would  polish  up  your 
manners ! " 

"I  say!  stranger,"  said  the  "farm"  man,  "if  you  make 
us  any  more  trouble,  there  is  an  honest  witness  I  and 
HERE a  revolver  !  " 

"It  don't  look,  now,  as  if  I  were  in  a  position  to 
trouble  you!"  muttered  Bailey,  as  he  started  toward  the 
"Falls"  village;  and  noticed  that  the  new  comer  was 
slowly  walking  in  the  same  direction. 

"  Then  you  are  going  to  swear  you  saw  me  rob  that 
man,  are  you?"  asked  Bailey  of  the  new  stranger,  eyeing 
his  dark  visage  and  long,  black  beard. 


ike 
ind 


that 


bing 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


181 


"  Wliy,  of  course  I  sliould  luivc  to  swear  to  the  Iruth/ 
the  truth  is  the  only  tiling  I  could  swear  to ! " 

"And  you  would  advise  me  not  to  complain,  if  lliei/ 
don't!"  added  Bailey,  with  a  slight  appreciation  of  the 
tragic  ridiculous ! 

"I  certainly  should,"  replied  the  stranger,  with  an  air 
of  disinterested  indifference,  and  a2)parently  turning  to 
take  a  look  at  the  river  scenery. 

"Do  you  know  those  two  men?"  asked  Bailey. 

"  No,  sir,  I  don't  make  myself  intimate  with  strangers, 
when  traveling ! "  he  replied,  as  he  ceased  walking,  braced 
against  his  cane,  held  his  lighted  cigar  in  his  delicate 
fingers,  and  gazed  at  the  high,  rising  mist  of  the  falls,  as 
if  he  were  some  sublime  meditator,  too  devoted  to  let 
such  a  small  matter  as  a  highway  robbery  divert  his 
thoughts  from  the  soul-inspiring  scenes  of  Niagara ! 

Bailey  felt,  now,  more  inclined  to  increase  his  pace 
toward  the  village  than  to  waste  time  with  tliis  mysteri- 
ous witness;  who,  whatever  he  might  appear  in  court, 
was  to  Bailey  clearly  an  accomplice  of  the  other  two 
villains,  and  whose  part  in  the  plot  was,  to  be  a  "witness" 
to  swear  the  guilty  free,  or  assist  to  intimidate  the  injured 
and  the  innocent  from  making  complaint ! 


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■■'■■    i^  i 


CHAPTER  XYIIL 

Excitement  in  tlie  Bar-room— More  about  tlie  Blaclc-lcgs— "  I)ifl  be  dcr  Bolico  "—A 
Stranger  talked  of  in  the  Village  of  Niagara  Falls— A  Talk  of  Laura's  Lovers— 
Dc'icon  Sommers  puzzled. 

"  This  will  never  do,"  said  Benjamin  to  himself,  as  he 
quickened  his  pace — "  never  do  for  me  to  be  outgeneraled 
by  black-legs  and  robbers  the  very  first  day  I  have 
reported  myself  for  duty  as  a  detective  of  smugglers! 
This  is  no  small  matter ;  it  may  get  into  the  newspapers, 
and  it  must  not  go  there  as  it  stands  now.  The  only 
merit  the  public  seems  to  recognize  is  success.  Even  an 
honest  failure  gets  more  disgrace  than  a  successful  hum- 
bug, or  than  a  profitable  bargain  gotten  up  by  deception 
and  fraud.  Why,  if  these  very  scoundrels  had  got  their 
counterfeit  money  or  forged  drafts  on  me,  strangers  as 
they  were,  they  would  have  been  called  'sharp,'  and  the 
Lord  only  knows  what  the  public  would  have  called  me ! 
As  it  is,  I  hereby  give  Benjamin  Bailey  notice  that  he  must 
capture  those  thundering  scamps,  dead  or  alive.  Deacon 
Sommers  and  Laura  must  not  have  the  chance  to  hear 
that  Benjamin  Bailey  was  a  coward !  But,  of  course,  I 
must  have  weapons.  It  would  have  been  only  brave 
foolishness  for  me  to  have  resisted  two  armed  highway- 
men, unarmed  as  I  was." 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


183 


Tlic  first  house  to  be  readied  was  tlic  Frontier  Hotel. 
Benjamin  soon  entered  it,  exliihiting  no  small  degree  ot 
exeitement,  in  spite  of  liis  efforts  to  appear  otlierwisc. 

"Give  me  a  gunl"  said  he  to  the  landlord,  "I  must 
capture  two  highwaymen  in  twenty  minutes,  or  they  will 
escape  I  There  is  no  time  for  delay  or  explanation ! 
Give  me  a  gun — a  rifle,  shot-gun,  carbine,  pistol,  any- 
thing, the  best  thing  you  have ! " 

As  might  be  expected,  Bailey's  sudden  as  well  as  his 
excited  appearance,  created  no  little  excitement  in  the 
bar-room.  One  Dutchman  held  his  half-emptied  lager 
beer  glass  by  the  handle,  while  he  inquired  of  another 
German,  better  versed  in  English  : 

"Was  meint  der  mann?  Was  ist  gethan?  1st  der 
teufelhier?" 

At  the  same  time  a  soldier  handed  Bailey  a  large 
revolver,  and  the  landlord  produced  a  double-barrel  gun. 

"  Mcin  Gott  I "  exclaimed  another  Dutchman,  who  had 
just  emptied  his  glass  of  "  lager,"  and  stood  bewildered  by 
the  movements,  and  the  hasty  English  of  those  who  best 
understood  Bailey. 

"Mein  Gott!  ist  die  gun  schus  some  dings?  Der 
mann  ist  viel  mad, -don't  he?  Vot  for  vill  he  make  some 
dead  mans  ?  " 

"  Are  these  loaded  ?  "  asked  Bailey. 

"The  revolver  isn't;  but  here  are  some  cartridges," 
said  the  soldier. 

"  The  gim  is  well  loaded,"  said  the  landlord. 

"  Is  there  any  policemen  at  hand  ?  " 

"I've  sent  for  one  up  town,"  replied  the  landlord. 


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A    STOllV    OF    NIAGARA. 


"And  he  will  probably  be  here,  bejabers,  by  the  time 
you  don't  want  him  I "  added  an  Irish  porter. 

"  Cannot  wait  an  instant,"  said  l^ailey.  "  Whose  buggy 
is  this,  before  the  door?" 

"Mine,"  said  the  landlord. 

"Send  a  man  to  drive  me  a  mile  or  more,  and  I'll  over- 
take the  scoundrels ! " 

"  Und  I  go  mit  sie,"  said  one  of  the  landlord's  porters. 

"llierl"  said  another  Dutchman,  coming  from  behind 
the  bar  with  a  harge  cavalry  pistol,  "hier  ist  einander 
shootsen  ding  waan  sie  will  maken  some  powder  in  I " 

Benjamin  seized  it,  and  with  loaded  gun  and  two  empty 
pistols — the  latter  lie  thought  might  answer  for  a  show  in 
arresting  the  robbers — he  and  the  porter,  for  a  driver, 
jumped  into  the  buggy,  and  the  next  moment  were  riding 
rapidly  down  the  river  road.  A  sharp  eye  was  kept 
along  the  bank,  but  they  saw  no  person,  not  even  the 
mysterious  witness,  till  after  riding  about  a  mile  and  a 
half,  Benjamin  saw  two  men  disappear  from  view,  near 
the  end  of  a  high  board  fence,  close  by  the  railroad.  He 
pointed  them  out  to  the  driver,  who  informed  him  that 
there  were  some  desperate  bad  characters  living  in  the 
house  close  by  there.  * 

"  Faster,  then,  and  I'll  get  out  at  the  end  of  that  fence 
and  head  them  off.  My  gun  is  all  right,  but  this  thun- 
dering revolver  isn't !  But  no  matter,  if  we  can  get  near 
the  rascals ;  you  take  this  big  pistol,  and  take  aim  when 
Idol" 

"  Der  teivel !  und  sie  tinks  I  shoots  waan  sie  shootsen 
audi  1  und  dis  ding  go  nit,  mit  no  powder  in  I " 


A    STOllY    OF    NIAGARA. 


185 


"But  will  you  make  believe,  all  but  the  shoot?" 

"  O,  yes,  I  scare  dem.     I  go  mit  sie,  all  but  die  shoots  ! " 

A  lew  momcuts  later  and  the  well-broke  livery  horse 
was  left  standing  in  the  road ;  while  Bailey  stood  at  the 
end  of  the  fence.  His  double-barrel  gun  was  in  a  posi- 
tion for  instant  use,  and  a  part  of  a  revolver  could  be 
seen  projecting  from  his  side  pocket.  The  two  robbers 
were  facing  him  at  a  doubtful  distance  for  the  aim  of 
their  revolvers,  but  not  for  Bailey's  gun. 

"  Halt,  scoundrels,  or  you  are  dead  men  I  You  are  our 
prisoners  I "  exclaimed  Bailey,  in  a  voice  that  left  no 
room  to  doubt  his  intentions. 

The  two  robbers  halted,  and  as  they  whispered  to  each 
other,  Benjamin  continued : 

"  Disobey  one  order  and  I  shall  take  pleasure  in  dem- 
onstrating the  fact  that  this  gun  will  shoot  twice — at 
a  very  short  interval  1 " 

The  Dutchman,  too,  assumed  the  appearance  of  having 
a  commendable  amount  of  courage,  making  a  very  sig- 
nificant demonstration  with  the  big  pistol,  as  he  moved 
within  supporting  distance  of  Bailey,  and  exclaimed : 

"  Dis  be  der  bolice  1 " 

The  robbers  saw  that  their  late  acquaintance  was  in  no 
mood  to  be  trifled  with.     Bailey  had  assumed  command. 

"Before  you  make  another  move,"  said  he,  "take  out 
your  revolvers  and  lay  them  on  the  ground  I " 

This  order  was  silently  obeyed. 

It  is  probable  tliat  the  robbers  decided  to  show  no 
signs  of  guilt,  and  to  rely  on  the  evidence  of  the  "mys- 
terious" witness  to  clear  them;  though  their  first  intcn- 


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A    STORY    OF   NIAGARA. 


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tions  may  have  been  to  secrete  themselves  till  dark,  at 
some  point  down  the  bank  of  the  river,  which  Benjamin's 
quick  movements  had  frustrated. 

"  Eaise  your  hands ! "  ordered  Bailey.  "  Higher,  as  I 
did  mine,  when  you  rifled  my  pockets ;  or  this  gun  shall 
rifle  your  bodies  I " 

"  Now  keep  together,  and  march  to  the  right !  There, 
halt!" 

The  robbers  again  whispered  to  each  other,  but  obeyed 
orders. 

The  Dutchman,  by  Bailey's  direction,  secured  the 
weapons  of  the  robbers,  and  in  due  time  all  were  in 
marching  order  for  Niagara  Falls  village.  The  two  rob- 
bers advanced  in  the  road,  in  front  of  Bailey ;  the  porter 
driving  behind  them. 

"  Hands  away  from  your  pockets,  there  I "  said  Bailey, 
"  You  can  keep  my  mStiey  with  you,  you  honest  *  West- 
ern farmer,'  and  you  'silver  polish'  man,  till  we  reach 
the  Justice's  office ! " 

In  due  time  the  captives  were  marched  into  the  village, 
where  a  police  officer  now  made  his  appearance,  and  took 
them  into  custody. 

Bailey's  money  was  found  on  the  person  of  the  "West- 
ern farmer."  In  due  time  the  two  highwaymen  had  their 
trial.  By  marks  upon  two  of  the  bank  notes  Benjamin 
proved  the  money  to  be  his,  and  where  he  had  obtained 
it  The  "mysterious  witness"  appeared,  but  refusing  to 
answer  certain  important  questions  which  would  have 
probably  led  to  an  exposure  of  his  own  true  character, 
no  confidence  was  placed  in  his  testimony.  The  robbers 
were  convicted  and  sent  to  prison. 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


187 


The  evening  of  the  robbery  and  the  next  day,  the  bold 
and  energetic  maneuver  of  the  stranger  who  captured 
the  two  robbers  without  waiting  for  policemen  or  other 
assistance,  except  to  procure  weapons  and  a  conveyance, 
was  the  subject  of  talk  among  the  strangers  at  the  hotel, 
as  well  as  among  the  citizens  of  Niagara  Falls  village. 
Who  is  the  man  that  marched  those  robbers  into  the 
village?  was  one  of  the  questions  which  almost  every- 
body 8  ""zed,  but  which  nobody  seemed  able  to  answer  to 
anybody's  satisfaction.  The  next  day  after  the  affair. 
Deacon  Somraers  was  in  the  post-office,  and  he  asked  the 
same  question  of  the  post-master. 

"I  have  heard  two  stories,"  was  the  reply.  "Some 
say  it  was  Bailey.  I  supposed  at  first  that  they  meant 
one  of  the  Baileys  living  in  the  village  here.  But  Daw- 
son, the  livery  man,  says  Gulliver  heard  that  it  was  a 
stranger  stopping  at  the  Cataract  House — says  he  is  a 
young  man,  rather  slim,  and  not  very  tall." 

"  Did  Mr.  Gulliver  hear  what  his  name  is  ?  "  inquired 
Deacon  Sommers. 

"I  declare,  now!"  said  the  post-master,  "I  cannot 
remember  whether  Gulliver  said  his  name  is  Bailey  or 
not  But  he  said  they  called  him  an  intelligent-looking 
fellow — had  sandy  whiskers  and  was  well  dressed." 

When  Deacon  Sommers  got  home  he  told  the  news ; 
gave  the  description  of  the  young  man  who  captured  the 
robbers,  as  one  account  gave  it,  and  the  name,  Bailey,  as 
another  rumor  had  it 

Laura  Sommers  declared  it  to  be  her  decided  opinion 
tiiat  tJiat  description  and  the  name,  Bailey,  meant  Benja- 


188 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


mill  Bailey,  and  nobody  else!  and  she  wished  she  could 
sec  him,  if  he  had  come  to  Niagara  Falls ;  she  could  not 
see  the  need  of  being  so  delicate,  or  so  something,  that 
they  would  not  let  Benjamin  know  the  facts,  and  defend 
himself,  if  he  could.  She  was  satisfied  from  what  they 
had  already  heard,  that  Judge  Bailey  was  a  "miserable 
sinner  I "  and  that  he  ought  to  blush  every  time  he  read 
those  words  in  the  prayer  books ! 

"Why,  daughter,"  suggested  Deacon  Sommers,  "even 
if  Benjamin  Bailey  is  a  good,  common  sort  of  a  young 
man,  it  could  not  have  been  pleasant  after  things  got  as 
they  were  1 " 

"  Father,  now  don't  you  think  that  it  was  an  act  of 
injustice  for  us  not  to  give  him  an  opportunity  (when 
he  so  politely  requested  the  privilege)  to  show,  if  he 
could,  that  he  had  been  misrepresented  ?  " 

"  Well,  daughter,  you  know  it  cannot  be  helped  now. 
And  there  was  the  young  minister,  here,  a  much  better 
husband  for  you,  if  you  could  only  think  so ;  and  there 
is  Col.  Le  Grange.  The  Colonel  is  a  good  fellow — always 
has  been  an  anti-slavery  man ;  and  there  is  no  doubt  but 
he  is  wealthy.     The  minister,  too,  he  gets  a  good  salary." 

"  Father,  in  reference  to  the  minister,  what  more  could 
I  say  than  that  /  dislike  him  f  or,  of  the  Colonel,  I  do 
not  hve  him?  In  deference  to  my  father's  good  judg- 
ment, and  in  obedience  to  his  expressed  wishes,  I  have 
been  able  to  refuse  the  one  I  loved  I  but  many  one  I  do 
not  love?     No,  dear  father,  never ! " 

And  with  these  words  the  tears  came  to  her  eyes,  and 
she  left  the  presence  of  her  parents,  and  went  sad  and 
sorrowful  to  her  room. 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


189 


"  Why,  de  Lord  sakes ! "  said  Dinah  to  Mrs.  Sommcrs, 
the  next  moment  after  passing  Laura  in  the  hall,  "do 
massa  sakes  alive!  ef  Miss  Laura  don't  hab  Benjamin 
slie  won't  hab  nobody !     Hih,  he !  I  wouldn't  say  dat  ef 

I  had two  beaux  !     I  heer'd  Massa  Higley  say,  once, 

down  South,  dat  it  was  agin'  de  Bible  to  be  so  mighty 
pertic'lar  I  Ses  he,  '  where  would  de  world  been  by  dis 
time  ef  de  fust  man  and  de  fust  woman,  an'  all  dor 
childers  had  a  been  so  mighty  pertic'lar?'  " 

"There,  Dinah,"  interrupted  Mrs.  Sommers,  "you  may 
sweep  the  dining-room  out,  now." 

"  De  Lord  sakes !  Missus,  hih,  he  !  does  ye  know  what 
Miss  Laura  axes  me,  yesterday?  hih,  he!" 

"  Why,  what  was  it,  Dinah  ?  " 

"  Wal,  when  I  tole  her  dat  I  had  swecpt  her  room  out, 
she  axes  me,  ^out  where  ?^  " 

"  Did  you  tell  her,  Dinah  ?  " 

"  I  tole  her  not  to  be  skeered,  'cause  I  could  sweep  it 
all  in  agin  ef  she  said  so ;  but  she  didn't  say  nuffin  after 
dat,  hih,  he." 

'  There,  Dinah,  you  need  not  talk  any  more,  now." 

"  No,  ma'am,"  said  Dinah,  as  she  left  the  room. 

"  Husband,"  said  Mrs.  Sommers,  "  suppose  you  and  I 
make  a  visit  to  Fallington  in  a  few  weeks.  You  have 
not  visited  cousin  Gertrude's  family  in  several  years. 
These  letters  are  so  contradictory  we  can  tell  nothing 
about  them.  Suppose  their  minister  did  say,  that  so  far 
as  he  could  find  out  the  facts,  things  had  been  exagger- 
ated against  Judge  Bailey  by  his  enemies.  After  all, 
you  cannot  say  but  things  look  bad  against  him.     I  don't 


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190 


A   STORY    OF   NIAGARA. 


I 


believe  Mrs.  Hartle;-'  letter  can  be  all  false.  Then  every- 
thing Judge  Bailey  or  his  family  say  against  Benjamin  — 
see  how  afraid  they  are  of  having  it  inquired  into  I  They 
would  not  for  a  long  time  even  tell  the  gii^  s  name  who, 
they  said,  could  tell  such  hard  things  against  Benjamin 
Bailey.  And  then  when  they  did  tell  us,  it  turned  out  to 
be  one  in  their  own  house — Jerusha  Vroman — the  very 
one  whom  we  have  heard  of  before  with  no  credit  to  her- 
self or  to  Judge  Bailey,  either!  Why,  nobody  has 
started  anything  against  Benjamin  Bailey  that  we  have 
heard  of,  but  what  came  first  from  them  ! " 

"It  is  an  unpleasant  affair,  anyhow,"  said  Deacon 
Sommers. 

"  Unpleasant,  of  course,  but  when  they  call  him  a  half- 
witted fellow,  why,  I  saw  enough  of  him  to  know  they 
could  not  say  such  things  without  some  base  motive  for 
it !  I  begin  to  think  that  Mrs.  Hartley's  letter  is  true, 
and  that  Judge  Bailey  had  some  idea  of  helping  his  son 
to  get  Laura  for  a  wife,  long,  long  before  David's  letter 
to  her  I" 

"  Tut,  tut,  wife,  it  does  not  look  very  likely  that  Ben- 
jamin Bailey,  and  David  Bailey,  and  Judge  Bailey,  all 
fell  into  such  extravagant  admiration  of  Laura,  and  that 
the  old  Judge  contrived  a  game  against  Benjamin,  and 
hired  Jerusha  to  tell  such  down-right  falsehoods  as  you 
must  think  she  has  told,  and  all  to  help  David  to  get  a 
girl  he  had  not  at  the  time  asked  for!  And  did  not 
Laura,  herself,  know  that  David  was  paying  attention  to 
another  girl  ?  Fven  if  Judge  Bailey  be  a  bad  man,  I  can 
not  see  that  he  could  have  had  at  first  any  bad  motive  to 


A   STORY    OF   NIAGARA. 


191 


deceive  us ;  it  would  be  a  queer  man  that  would  get  up 
falsehood  and  trouble  without  motive  to  prompt  him." 

"And  yet,"  said  Deacon  Sommers,  putting  in  a  cau- 
tious proviso,  "it  may  be  that  I  was  wrong,  and  your  first 
impressions  and  Laura's  were  right — time  may  tell !  I 
do  blame  myself  for  not  taking  more  pains  to  find  out 
the  facts  and  to  know  more  about  Benjamin  Bailey. 
And  in  two  or  three  weeks,  perhaps,  we  had  better  make 
a  visit  to  Fallington,  so  that  I  can  satisfy  Laura  how 
things  are,  if  we  can  find  out" 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


ASiugnlnr  Comparison  of  Letters— IIow  a  Minister  proposed  to  Laura - 
Colonel  proposed— Laura's  Opinion  of  tliem. 


■ilowa 


A  FEW  moments  after  Deacon  Sommers'  last  remark, 
recorded  in  the  preceding  chapter,  Laura  reentered  the 
room  with  a  package  of  letters,  and  asked  her  father  if 
he  would  please  read  and  compare  Benjamin  Bailey's 
first  letter  to  her  with  the  minister's  and  the  Colonel's, 
nnd  then  say  if  he  did  not  think  Benjamin's  the  best  in 
every  respect 

The  Colonel's  letter  was  received  by  Laura  almost  im- 
mediately on  her  return  from  Fallington ;  and  the  minis- 
ter's four  or  five  months  before  Benjamin  Bailey's  arrival 
at  Niagara  Falls.  Laura  had  given  to  each  a  respectful 
and  decided  answer,  that  she  could  not  reciprocate  the 
sentiments  expressed  in  their  letters. 

Deacon  Sommers  would  have  been  pleased  either  with 
the  minister  or  the  colonel  for  his  son-in-law.  The  Dea- 
con was  a  high  Calvinist,  as  well  as  an  anti-slavery  man, 
and  when  the  minister,  the  next  Sabbath  after  the  Fort 
Pillow  massacre  of  Union  negro  soldiers,  prayed  that  the 
Almighty  would  "  destroy  the  rebel  armies  and  send  them 
quickly  down  to  hell,"*  the  Deacon  approved  every  word 

*  Tliis  is  an  exact  quotation  from  tlic  prayer  of  a  Trcsbyterian  clergyman,  miide 
in  a  village  near  Niagara  Fulls. 


A   STORY   OF    NIAGARA. 


193 


of  it,  and  liked  liim  better  than  ever.  He  also  admired 
the  colonel  as  a  man  entertaining  the  same  "  radical  prin- 
ciples," and  as  a  man  who  possessed  the  kind  of  courage 
necessary  to  aid  in  carrying  out  the  mundane  portion  of 
the  preacher's  prayer. 

The  idea  of  comparing  the  first  letters  written  by  these 
two  suitors  and  Benjamin  Bailey,  the  Deacon  remarked, 
was  a  matter  of  no  importance,  and  he  believed  he  had 
learned  the  substance  of  them  when  first  received. 

"But  you  have  never  seen  them  together,"  said  Laura, 
"and  perhaps  a  comparison  with  the  minister's  letter 
might  convince  you  that  Judge  Bailey  was  at  least  mis- 
taken as  to  Benjamin's  being  a  young  man  of  veiy  '  infe- 
rior abilities,'  having  a  'poor  education,'  etc.  I  cannot 
help  forming  some  opinion  of  people  by  their  letters  I 
It  takes  a  good  deal  of  good  sense,  in  my  opinion,  to 
write  a  good  letter ;  and  it  means  as  much  sometimes  as 
dollars  and  cents  I  I  don't  like  egotism  in  a  letter  nor  in 
a  minister.  I  don't  like  to  hear  a  minister  talk  as  if  he 
expe  ocd  the  congregation  to  believe  him  an  inspired 
interpreter  of  scripture.  And  I  don't  like  a  man  any 
better  because  he  happens  to  be  a  colonel,  and  thinks  his 
lips  were  made  to  hold  tobacco — or  to  be  too  command- 
ing!" 

"  Daughter,  you  are  getting  severe  in  your  criticisms," 
said  the  Deacon,  with  a  smile. 

"  Not  much  more  severe,  fether,  than  our  minister  was 
with  the  rebel  slave-holders,  not  long  ago,"  responded 
Laura,  with  a  blush.  "  But  I  wish  you  would  read  and 
compare  these  letters,  father,  just  to  please  me,  this  once." 


ij 


fm 


194 


A    STOKY    OF'NIAGARA. 


Finally,  Deacon  Sornnicrs  was  prevailed  on  to  read  the 
letters.  First,  be  read  Benjamin  Bailey's,  which  ran  as 
follows : 

"  Fallington,  N.  Y.,  — ; ,  1863. 

"  Miss  Laura  Sommers  : 

'"'■Dear  Stranger — If  there  be  those  who  might  in  strict 
etiquette  criticise  me  for  writing  this  letter  to  a  lady  to 
whom  I  am  probably  unknown,  I  can  but  hope  that  my 
reasons  for  doing  so,  with  the  honorable  intentions  which 
I  bear  toward  the  lady  I  am  addressing,  will  be  kindly 
regarded. 

"  I  have  seen  you  on  three  occasions,  but  have  merely 
learned  your  name,  and  that  yourself  and  your  mother 
are  visiting  at  Mrs.  Cummings'.  Seeing  no  prospect  of  a 
favorable  opportunity  for  an  introduction  to  you  through 
acquaintances,  I  have  thought  it  not  improper  to  addi'csa 
you  this  letter. 

"  As  an  assurance  to  you  of  my  sincerity,  and  of  my 
consciousness  that  no  one  can  say  aught  against  my  moral 
character,  allow  me  to  say,  that  I  have  always  lived  near 
Fallington  village,  and  consequently  your  friends,  if  you 
desire,  can  easily  make  inquiries  concerning  me.  To 
make  this  letter  a  better  introduction  of  myself,  I  will 
state  that  I  am  the  person  whom  you  probably  saw  in 
conversation  with  Mr.  Baldwin  yesterday,  as  yourself  and 
Miss  Cummings  came  into  his  store.  You  may  have  also 
seen  me  at  church.  I  occupied  the  pew  in  front  of  Miss 
Cummings  and  yourself  last  Sabbath. 

"  I  should  be  happy  to  make  your  acquaintance ;  and 
with  that  purpose,  may  I  ask  the  favor  of  an  interview, 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


195 


at  the  house  of  your  friend,  at  such  time  as  will  be  most 
convenient  to  yourself? 

"Anxiously  awaiting  your  reply,  I  am  with  sentiments 
of  high  esteem, 

"Benjamin  Bailey." 


"  Yes,  daughter,"  said  Deacon  Sommers,  as  he  finished 
reading  the  letter,  "there  is  a  sort  of  candid,  honest  and 
sensible  look  about  that  letter,  I  admit  But  seeing  the 
writer  of  it  face  to  face,  I  might  get  a  far  dilFerent  im- 
pression of  him." 

And  yet  it  is  not  four  days  since  Deacon  Sommers  did 
see  him  1  If  he  could  now  know  that  the  writer  of  that 
letter  to  his  daughter,  was  the  same  young  man  he  had 
so  lately  met  upon  the  ,  cars,  with  whose  manners  he  had 
been  so  pleased,  how  it  might  disarm  his  prejudice! 
And  then,  could  the  veil  of  falsehood  be  turned  aside 
which  has  been  thrown  between  the  Sommers  family 
and  Benjamin  Bailey,  what  changes  might  it  make  I 
How  it  might  effect  the  happiness  of  the  innocent,  and 
disclose  the  motives  of  the  guilty  I  When  and  how  will 
tliis  take  place  ?  Or,  will  secrecy  forever  hide  and  shield 
the  guilty  to  let  the  innocent  suffer  ? 

To  the  remarks  of  her  father,  at  the  close  of  Benjamin 
Bailey's  letter,  Laura  made  no  reply,  but  anxiously 
watched  his  countenance  as  he  took  up  the  minister's 
letter  and  read  as  follows : 


196 


A   STOUY    OF   NIAGARA. 


(( 


N- 


1863. 


"Dear  Miss  Sommers: 

"  Your  dear  father  has  granted  me  permission  to  write 
you  this  letter.  You  may  be  surprised  at  receiving  the 
first  intimation  of  these  sentiments  in  a  letter  instead  of 
my  calling  to  talk  with  you  about  the  matter.  But  I 
feel  too  deep  an  interest  in  your  welfare,  both  earthly 
and  spiritual,  to  say  what  I  would  in  words  that  pass 
away  with  speaking;  and  which  in  this  form,  of  a  letter, 
we  both  might  wish  to  keep  as  a  memento  of  an  era  in 
our  lives. 

"  I  have  long  thought  that  if  I  were  a  married  minister 
I  might  be  more  useful  among  my  dear  flock.  Indeed  it 
was  an  objection  among  some  of  the  dear  people  which 
they  raised  against  my  taking  charge  of  this  church  and 
instructing  them  in  spiritual  things,  that  I  was  not  yet 
married;  and  they  would  perhaps  do  better  to  pay  a 
larger  salary  to  another  clergyman  who  had  a  wife.  I 
therefore  ask  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you  at  your  home 
to-morrow  evening  to  express  my  views  on  some  essential 
points,  and  leave  it  with  you  to  consider  whether  you 
would  be  willing  to  be  my  wife,  in  which  case  if  you  are 
not  already  orthodox  in  religious  belief,  I  should  take 
great  happiness  in  instructing  you  as  well  as  my  dear 
congregation,  in  the  truth  respecting  spiritual  things  and 
the  true  meaning  of  scripture. 

"  I  am,  your  affectionate  pastor, 

"Rev.  Jonas  CreedLx 
"  To  Miss  Laura  Sommers." 


A   STOIiy   OF   NIAGARA. 


197 


3. 

write 

r  the 

id  of 
Jut  I 
irthly 
pass 
letter, 
?ra  in 

inister 
leed  it 
which 
ih.  and 
lot  yet 
[pay  a 
ife.    I 

home 
3sential 
er  you 
^ou  are 
Id  take 
ly  dear 

gs  and 


3DL. 


"What  do  yoti  tliink  of  tliat  letter?"  asked  Laura, 
noticing  that  her  father  was  about  to  take  up  the  colonel's 
letter  without  expressing  any  opinion  of  the  minister's 
pr<)j)osal. 

Deacon  Somrners  replied  that  "he  thought  the  minis- 
ter's letter  might  have  been  better  adapted  to  his  object 
as  well  as  to  his  subject" 

"Yes,  I  think  so,  too,"  said  Laura,  "and  I  don't  see 
how  any  young  lady  could  like  a  man  who  would  write 
her  such  a  letter.  It  seemed  to  me  when  I  first  read  it 
that  he  had  a  confused  idea  that  he  was  writing  to  a 
small  child,  to  a  young  lady,  and  to  his  *  dear  flock ! ' 
It  was  difficult  for  me  to  determine  whether  he  w^as 
intending  to  marry  for  love  or  to  advance  his  business  as 
a  preacher ;  or  whether  he  would  be  my  husband  or  my 
spiritual  school-master  I  Before  I  would  maiTy  such 
ridiculous  egotism,  and  such  spiritual  impudence,  I  would 
rather  marry  Col.  Le  Grange,  as  I  have  said  before,  and 
have  him  go  immediately  'in  the  front  of  battle,'  as  he 
said,  'and  lay  down  his  life  on  the  altar  of  his  country ! ' " 

Laura  smiled,  as  she  added :  "  Please  read  the  ColoneVs 
letter  now.  No  matter  if  you  did  read  it  when  I  first 
received  it  You  see  it  is  my  fortune  to  get  letters  that 
bear  reading  twice." 

Deacon  Sommers  smiled,  and  proceeded  to  read  the 
following : 

"N ,  1863. 

"  Dear  Laura  : 

"It  is  with  no  little  anxiety  that  I  write  this  letter. 
In  the  little  acquaintance  we  have  had  you  cannot  have 


1-!^ 
D' 


198 


A   STORY   OF   NIARARA. 


li  W 


failed  to  notice  tliat  I  have  been  more  than  pleased  to  be 
in  your  society. 

"  I  now  write  you  this  letter  to  offer  you  my  fortune, 
and  my  sincere  ail*  "tions,  and  to  declare  that  1  love  you 
as  I  love  life  itseh.  For,  without  your  Eociety,  or  at  least 
without  the  hope  that  I  may  sometime  in  the  future, 
have  you  to  cheer  my  home,  I  shall  be  wretched,  and 
life  to  me  be  of  no  furtlier  value. 

"  If  I  have  any  fault  in  your  eyes  which  it  is  in  my 
power  to  correct,  I  pledge  you  my  word  and  honor  it 
shall  be  my  greatest  happiness,  influenced  by  youi 
charms,  and  for  your  sake,  to  correct  them.  You  can  ask- 
no  sacrifice  I  would  not  willingly  make  for  your  sake.  I 
admit  that  from  some  remarks  which  you  have  made  to 
me,  I  have  little  expectation  that  you  will  accept  my 
proposal ;  but  I  await  your  answer,  and  if  your  rcjily  be 
unfavorable,  I  can  only  add,  in  i)roof  of  my  devotion  to 
you,  that  I  shall  then  seek  the  front  of  battle  to  lay  (hnvn 
my  miserable  life  on  the  altar  of  my  country ;  for  I  shall 
have,  myself,  no  further  use  for  life. 

"  I  am  yours  only  and  forever, 

"Lafayette  Le  Grange," 

In  the  course  of  reading  this  letter  Deacon  Sommers' 
countenance  several  times  manifested  a  slight  struggle 
between  a  smile  and  an  effort  to  be  serioua  For  while 
he  thought  the  colonel's  letter  too  extravagantly  in  ad- 
vance of  Laura's  feelings  to  gain  his  object,  it  cci-tainly 
was  a  serious  question  who  was  to  be  the  future  husband 
of  his  daughter.     And  when  finally  he  handed  back  the 


A   STORY   OF   NIAGARA. 


199 


;e. 


wliilc 
in  ad- 
•taiiily 
sbiiiul 
ik  tliG 


letters  to  Laura  she  very  naturally  expected  her  Ikther 
would  express  an  opinion  as  to  the  comparison  of  the 
letters,  For  a  few  moments  Deacon  Sommers  was  silent 
But  Laura,  with  exceedingly  good  tact,  desiring  to  find 
out  the  impression  which  alone  the  comparison  had  pro- 
duced in  her  father's  mind,  remained  silerit  also,  till  her 
father  spoke.     At  last  he  said  : 

"Daughter,  such  letters  addressed  by  a  gentleman  to  a 
lady  ii})on  a  subject  so  generally  embarrassing,  arc  the 
most  difficult  of  any  in  the  world  for  a  man  to  write.  I 
know  how  it  was  when  I  was  young  I " 

"  I  perceive,  father,  that  you  mean  what  you  say  as  an 
apology ;  and  as  you  are  so  much  of  a  friend  to  the  min- 
ister and  to  the  colonel,  too,  I  conclude  you  are  ai)ologiz- 
ing  for  theh'  letters — not  Benjamin  Bailey's ! " 

"But  is  not  the  apology  a  good  one?"  asked  Deacon 
Sommers,  smiling. 

"Perhaps  it  is;  but  it  is  better  still,  where  none  is 
needed,"  was  Laura's  quick  response. 

At  this  reply  Laura's  mother  gave  a  smile  of  satisfac- 
tion. And  Laura  added,  "that  she  admired  Benjamin 
Bailey's  letter,  and  did  not  like  either  of  the  others;  and 
that  she  did  not  believe  one  word  coming  from  Judge 
Bailey,  or  from  any  one  under  his  influence." 

Deacon  Sommers  admitted  that  the  hearsays  had  be- 
come badly  mixed ;  and  lie  regretted  that  he  had  not 
visited  Fallington  before  things  got  into  such  an  unpleas- 
ant state.  In  fa.ct.  Deacon  Snnmcrs  himself,  had  begun 
to  suspect  that  all  was  not  right  with  Judge  Bailey,  lie 
had  never  known  much  of  him,  and  for  a  nundjcr  of 


hi  I 
1 


^i1 


15  ;t: 


(Vi 


A 


m 


200 


A   STORY   OF   NIAGARA. 


! !  -^ 


years  past  almost  nothing.  It  had  occurred  to  him  that 
Judge  Bailey  and  his  family  might  have  more  than  one 
motive  for  deceiving  the  minister  in  Fallington,  as  well 
as  the  Cummings  family ;  that  through  them  they  might 
deceive  others,  and  thus  be  enabled  to  sustain  themselves 
in  society. 

But  the  barrier  between  Laura  and  Benjamin  was  not 
yet  to  be  removed ;  and  there  was  little  prospect  that  it 
ever  would  be  removed.  Deacon  Sommers  thought  it  an 
unpleasant  matter  to  meddle  with.  No  action  was  decided 
upon ;  and  Laura  saw  with  regret,  that  results  were  still 
to  await  the  uncertain  events  of  time ;  and  that  she  could 
do  little  to  hasten  them.  Years  might  pass  away — her 
life  might  pass  away — ere  the  truth  would  come  to  light. 

What  strange  barriers  —  what  thin  veils  sometimes 
exist  between  the  opinion  we  do  form  and  those  we 
would  foiTTi,  if  the  veil  which  hides  some  secret  truths 
were  drawn  aside.  Sometimes  the  barrier  between  is 
innocent  ignorance  of  some  fact,  and  sometimes  falsehood 
has  placed  it  there. 

There  was,  indeed,  a  faint,  lingering  hope,  returning 
now  and  then  to  Benjamin  and  Laura,  that  the  obstacles 
thrown  between  them  would  sometime  and  fomehow  be 
explained  away, 

For  true  love  needs  but  little  hope 

To  keep  that  little  long, 
And  when  that  little  once  is  broke 

'Tis  often  mended  strong. 


CHAPTEK   XX. 


if.\n\ 


^ 


Suspicious  Rumors— Fears  of  Exposure — Tlie  two  Detectives— A  Laughable  Dis- 
covery— Tlio  Whisky  Smugglers— Ben  in  bad  company— Something  about  the 
WiU  Fraud. 


I!  t 


Time  passed  on — time  is  a  noted  traveler  in  that  direc- 
tion— and  Deacon  Sommers  made  a  visit  to  Fallington ; 
but  circumstances  so  turned  that  Mrs.  Sommers  could  not 
accompany  him.  He  thus  lost  the  benefit  of  what  a 
woman's  visit  could  have  learned  of  fact  and  rumor. 

It  was  common  talk,  however,  that  is  to  say,  every 
confidential  friend  told  her  confidential  friend,  under 
strict  injunctions  of  secrecy,  as  she  preferred  not  to  get 
the  ill-will  of  the  Bailey  family — told  of  numerous  scan- 
dalous things  that  had  lately  come  out  against  Judge 
Bailey  and  Jerusha  Vroman ;  and  also  of  the  heartless 
course  which  Mrs.  Bailey,  driven  to  defend  him,  had 
aken  to  frighten  Adeline  into  silence,  and  to  destroy  her 
credibility,  should  she  speak  the  truth.  It  was  told,  too, 
how  Adeline,  in  a  late  severe  sickness,  in  some  delirious 
moments,  had  said  some  strange  things;  at  one  time 
charging  Judge  Bailey  with  a  crime  almost  incredible; 
then  how  she  blamed  herself  for  having  helped  Mrs. 
Bailey  to  conceal  Jerusha's  trouble. 

And  yet  the  very  persons  who  whispered  these  things 
9* 


*»■■ 


202 


A    STOKY    OF    NIAGARA. 


the  most,  but  the  most  privutcly,  said  among  tlKMiiselvcs, 
"  well,  rve  don't  wish  to  have  their  ill-will ;  tliey  are  wealthy; 
they  can  do  us  favors,  and  should  we  openly  appear  to 
believe  the  trutli  against  them,  they  niight  pay  us  badly 
by  starting  falsehood  against  us  to  our  injury  1  We  can 
not  respect  them,  of  course,  but  we  can  treat  them  as  if 
lue  were  not  supposed  to  know  how  things  are !  We  must 
look  to  our  interest !  We  can  stand  it  as  long  as  the 
minister  and  the  deacons  do."  And  the  minister  and  tlie 
deacons  thought  it  wouldn't  help  matters  to  say  anj^thing. 
So  Jared  Bailey  and  his  two  or  three  interested  defenders 
seemed  to  keep  possession  of  public  respect  more  than 
was  a  reality. 

By  continued  favors,  and  also  a  bold  cunning,  in  which 
Mrs.  Bailey  and  Jerusha  were  perfect  masters,  they 
secured  either  the  good  will  or  good  opinion  of  Mrs. 
Cummings,  as  well  as  of  the  minister's  family ;  so  that 
what  Deacon  Sommers  vaguely  learned  of  facts,  from 
other  sources,  they  half-innocently  smoothed  over.  In- 
deed, it  was  a  worldly  failing  of  the  Eev.  Mr.  Smooth- 
well,  which  he,  himself,  however,  mistook  for  one  of  his 
Christian  virtues — that  he  was  always  ready  to  counsel 
great  forbearance  and  forgiveness  in  all  special  or  indi- 
vidual wrongs  where  even  necessary  notice  was  likely  to 
interrupt  the  harmony  of  subscribers  to  his  salary ;  while 
he  taught  in  a  more  distant  sense,  that  on  account  of 
A.dam's  transgression  wrong-doers  deserved  no  mercy. 

Mrs.  Cummings,  too,  though  she  never  submitted  to 
wrongs  against  herself,  without  fanning  a  spark  into  a 
blaze,  felt  a  remarkable  indifference  to  wrongs  against 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


203 


Others.  Ilcncc  in  the  latter  cases,  when  it  was  for  licr 
interest  to  cover  up  wrong,  she,  like  the  Ecv.  Mr.  Smooth- 
well,  believed  it  to  be  her  Christian  virtues  which  led  her 
to  forbearance !  In  such  cases  it  never  occurred  to  her  that 
such  a  course  could  be  carried  far  enough  to  encourage 
evil-doing.  ' 

Deacon  Sommers,  however,  had  heard  things  against 
Judge  Bailey  in  the  nature  of  several  criminal  assaults, 
which  were  of  a  character  to  con-oborate  the  statements 
in  Mrs.  Hartley's  letter  to  Laura ;  and  which  alone  ren- 
dered Jerusha's  statements  in  defense  of  Judge  Bailey 
entirely  inconsistent  and  improbable ;  and  hence  tended 
to  confirm  the  stories  against  herself.  Also,  to  the  fur- 
ther astonishment  of  Deacon  Sommers,  all  he  could  learn 
against  Benjamin,  was  traced  to  Jerusha  and  Judge 
Bailey's  family.  Mrs.  Cummings  informed  him  that 
Adeline  Wilderman  declined  to  talk  about  other  people's 
quarrels.  Deacon  Sommers,  therefore,  learned  nothing 
from  the  source  to  which  Mrs.  Hartley's  letter  referred. 

When  Deacon  Sommers  returned  home,  he  said  that 
"he  was  obliged  to  admit  that  he  could  hear  nothing 
against  Benjamin  Bailey,  except  what  had  lately  started 
from  Jared  Bailey's  family.  He  was  also  satisfied  that 
Jared  Bailey  was  as  dangerous  a  man  as  he  dared  tohe!^^ 

He  regretted  that  he  had  no  opportunity  to  see  Benja- 
min Bailey,  who,  he  learned,  had  "gone  West  on  private 
business,"  and  would  be  gone  several  months  at  least. 

One  evening  after  Laura  had  asked  her  father  innu- 
merable questions  about  his  late  visit  to  Fallington,  she 
sat  carelessly  picking  the  hem  of  her  handkerchief,  when 


204 


A   STORY    OF   NIAGARA. 


lior  fiithcr  suggested  that  perliaps  by  spring  Colonel 
Lc  Grange  would  be  home,  and  she  might  think  better 
of  him.  "As  for  the  scandal  in  Fallington  against  Jared 
Bailey,  and  the  unaccountable  course  his  wife  takes," 
added  Deacon  Sommers,  "  I  fear  it  will  yet  disgrace  the 
whole  Bailey  name ;  for  half  the  folks  would  never  take 
pains  to  inquire  what  Bailey,  and  never  find  out  what 
motive  the  Jared  Bailey  family  had  for  turning  over  their 
own  scandal  against  Benjamin  Bailey." 

"  Father,"  said  Laura,  after  an  unusual  space  of  silence, 
"  I  want  your  permission  for  me  to  write  to  Benjamin 
and  tell  what  that  Jerusha  Vroman  says  about  him ! " 

"  You  may  do  that  if  you  choose,  after  seeing  Colonel 
Le  Grange  once  more." 

A  smile  of  satisfaction  lighted  up  Laui'a's  countenance, 
as  she  replied : 

"Then  I  shall  be  delighted  to  see  the  colonel  just  as 

soon  as  he  can  come ! " 

********* 

The  day  after  Benjamin's  experience  with  the  two 
black-legs,  the  account  of  which  was  closed  in  Chapter 
XVIII.,  he  called  according  to  appointment  at  the  custom 
house,  where  the  collector  was  to  give  him  instructions 
and  introduce  him  to  the  old  detective  Bedan,  who  in  a 
short  time  entered  the  room.  Bailey  and  he  stared  a 
moment  at  each  other  in  mutual  surprise;  and  though 
they  instantly  recognized  each  other,  they  manifested  no 
recognition  until  the  collector,  introducing  them,  had  sa^d : 

"  Mr.  Bedan,  this  is  Mr.  Bailey,  a  gentleman  who  will 
assist  you  in  looking  after  smugglers." 


A   STORY   OF   NIAGARA. 


205 


10 


will 


"  Well !  well  1 "  said  Bedan,  shaking  hands  with  Bailey, 
"  this  either  explains  things  or  else  it  doesn't  I  By  Jove ! 
I  guess  we've  been  practicing  on  each  other  a  little ! " 

"0,  you've  seen  ecich  other  before  this!"  said  the 
collector. 

"  Yes,  Mr.  Collector,  on  the  cars,  last  Tuesday,  I  cook 
Mr.  Bailey  for  a  smuggler ! " 

"And  I  paid  Mr.  Bedan  the  same  compliment  I"  re- 
torted Bailey. 

"  Ah,  ha !  I  see,"  smiled  the  collector. 

"I  believe  Mr.  Bedan  is  to  find  the  toate,"  added 
Bailey,  "if  I  conclude  to  smuggle  a  little  whisky  I" 

"Yes,  ha,  ha!  I  was  to  find  them,  but  now  it  will 
belong  to  Mr.  Bailey  tojind  them,  himself  I" 

The  conversation  now  turned  upon  the  duty  which  had 
best  be  assigned  to  Bailey.  It  was  finally  decided  that 
Bailey,  being  an  entire  stranger,  should  manage  to  make 
the  acquaintance  of  smugglere,  and  learn  where  and  when 
they  purchased  their  goods,  or  smuggled  them.  He  was 
also  to  send  any  information  by  telegraph,  in  the  secret 
cypher,  understood  by  the  collector,  his  deputy  and  detec- 
tives. He  was  to  avoid  being  seen  much  with  other 
custom  officers  or  about  the  custom  house. 

Several  weeks  from  the  date  of  the  above  conversation 
Bailey  arrived  one  evening  in  the  railroad  depot  with 
important  news  for  the  collector. 

"Any  news?"  inquired  the  old  detective,  in  a  whis- 
per, as  he  happened  to  meet  Bailey  in  the  depot 

"  Before  forty-eight  hours,"  replied  the  new  detective, 
at  low  breath,  "I  can  tell  the  collector  where  and  when 
to  have  a  seizure  made  worth  ten  thousand  dollars ! " 


m 


iii 


.■!»?■ 


Il  1 

I 


. 


206 


A    STORY    OF   NIAGARA. 


! 


"By  Jove  I"  whispered  Bedim,  "  tvvcnty-fivc  hundred 
dollars  for  your  share ;  the  same  for  tlie  collector,  and 
five  thousand  for  the  government,  wouldn't  be  bad  for 
you  to  begin  on,  Mr.  Bailey ! " 

A  few  minutes  later  and  the  two  detectives  were  hav- 
ing a  private  conversation  in  the  Exchange  Hotel. 

"What  is  the  case  you've  just  worked  up?"  asked 
Bedan. 

"  It  is  this :  the"-  are  shipping  flour  and  mill-feed  to 
Buffalo  from  one  ui  the  St  Catharines  mills  in  Canada. 
They  have  entered  at  least  a  dozen  boat  loads,  free  of 
duty,  at  the  United  States  custom  house,  under  a  fraudu- 
lent entry,  by  reporting  the  flour  and  mill-feed  to  have 
been  manufactured  from  wheat  raised  in  Canada ;  when 
in  fact  the  whole  is  dutiable,  because  made  from  Ameri- 
can wheat — a  kind  of  violation  you  see  of  the  present 
llcciprocity  Treaty." 

"  Well,  by  Jove !  Bailey,  as  many  times  as  I've  read 
up  custom-house  mattei's,  I  never  thought  of  the  Canada 
mills  making  that  dodge !  But,  Bailey,  those  mills  have 
Canada  wheat  and  American,  both,  and  how  can  we  ever 
know  which  kind  of  flour  or  shorts  they  ship  into  this 
country  ?  It  seems  mixed  up  with  one  of  those  queer 
laws  which  great  statesmen  sometimes  make,  as  if  on 
purpose  to  be  avoided  or  misunderstood  I " 

"  But  if  I  have  read  our  custom-house  laws  rightly," 
said  Bailey,  "we  are  justifiable  under  reasonable  suspi- 
cion, to  make  a  seizure,  and  then  it  rests  with  the  owner 
to  prove  the  goods  were  properly  reported  for  duties; 
and  if  free  of  duty,  why,  then  of  course  the  oath  that 


Pt 


A   STORY    OF   NIAGARA. 


207 


must  bo  made  to  make  a  '  free  entry,'  ouglit — whether  it 
does  or  not — to  cover  the  facts  under  which  the  free 
entry  is  made ;  and  if  required,  the  importer  ought  to  be 
able  to  prove  the  facts  otherwise  than  by  his  own  oath, 
simply.  In  this  case,  however,  I  found  there  had  been 
no  Canada  wheat,  or  flour,  or  mill-feed,  in  the  mill  for 
six  weeks  past  While  I  was  there  a  vessel  from  Chicago 
was  unloading  wheat  grown  in  the  Western  States ;  and 
I  tell  you  it  was  provoking  enough  to  hear  those  Cana- 
dians talk  sympathy  with  a  slaveholder's  rebellion  to  ruin 
our  country,  without  our  letting  them  get  any  more 
advantage  than  the  Reciprocity  Treaty  already  allows 
them !  I  declare,  it  seems  to  me  our  country  will  serve 
them  right  to  annul  that  treaty." 

"Yes,"  added  Bedan,  "and  turn  Fenian,  too,  till  they 
stop  giving  aid  and  comfort  to  Jeff.  Davis." 

Bedan  now  suggested  to  Bailey  that  he  attempt  to  get 
the  confidence  of  some  of  the  parties  smuggling  whisky 
across  the  river  from  Chippewa  in  Canada,  at  which  place 
there  was  a  large  distillery.  It  was  his  opinion  there  was 
a  newly-organized  band  of  smugglers.  "The  induce- 
ment at  this  time,"  said  Bedan,  "is  about  two  dollars  per 
gallon !  enough  to  tempt  some  who  pass  for  very  respect- 
able people ;  though  it  is  not  considered  quite  so  aristo- 
cratic to  smuggle  whisky  as  it  is  silk  or  broadcloth ;  a 
thing  which  on  any  frontier,  custom,  in  spite  of  custom 
houses,  seems  to  have  '  sanctioned  and  sanctified,'  as  Henry 
Clay  once  said  of  slavery  !  So  you  see,  Bailey,  we  must 
look  out  for  respectable  people  as  well  as  midnight  des- 
peradoes.    If  there  is  a  new  company  of  smugglers,  they, 


ft' 

II 


208 


A   STORY    OF   NIAGARA. 


'ill 


ri 


\'    !i 


*;H 


like  the  old  ones,  are  sharp  enough  to  have  their  secret 
spies  watching  customs  officers.  They,  of  course,  have 
men  each  side  of  the  river,  and  a  regular  system  of  talk- 
ing signals  for  day  and  night  They  can  signal  danger, 
and  where  to  land  and  when  to  land.  "VVe  must  have  a 
new  spy  in  their  camp;  you  being  a  stranger  might 
safely  act  for  awhile,  and  then  on  special  occasions  we 
can  also  engage  others." 

Bailey's  success  in  the  detection  of  the  smuggled  flour 
and  mill-feed  made  him  willing  to  risk  a  few  adventures. 
He,  therefore,  favored  the  suggestion.  And  Bedan  went 
on  to  give  a  little  of  his  own  experience  in  that  line  of 
detection. 

"  I  got  into  one  of  the  smuggler's  secret  organizations 
some  two  years  ago,"  said  Bedan,  "where  they  operated 
down  at  the  mouth  of  the  river.  But  after  I  had  man- 
aged to  get  two  or  three  smugglers  arrested  and  their 
boats  and  goods  confiscated,  they  somehow  got  up  a  sus- 
picion against  me.  An  old  fellow  started  it  by  name  of 
Chewbrick.  He  claimed  that  I  was  very  much  such  a 
m.an  as  Jonah  was — the  real  cause  of  all  the  late  troubles 
that  befel  their  boating  I  which  fact,  so  to  speak,"  said 
Bedan,  with  a  smile,  "  was  true !  You  see,  in  a  moral 
point  of  view  " — here  Bedan  stopped  to  press  a  fresh  sup- 
ply of  tobacco  into  his  mouth,  as  well  as  to  consider  how 
he  was  to  finish  his  "moral  point  of  view" — "you  see, 
Bailey,  like  a  certain  passage  of  Scripture,  so  in  a  moral 
point  of  view  it  was  with  me,  'no  man  can  serve  two 
masters.'  So  I  served  the  government  instead  of  the 
smuggling  organisation  I     Of  course  I   was  under  the 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


209 


necessity  of  being  slightly  h}jj)ocriticol.  We,  of  course, 
consider  our  business  right  and  honorable,  but  they  didntl^^ 

"Why,  yes,  Bedan,  I  justify  a  detective  in  this  way. 
He  acts  as  an  officer  of  the  law — not  as  an  individual. 
It  is  as  right  to  detect  and  catch  criminals  as  it  is  to  shut 
them  up  to  punish  them !  It  must  be  as  right  to  catch  a 
murderer  by  deception  as  it  is  to  hang  him  with  a  rope, 
and  the  same  principle  applies  to  detecting  lesser  crimes  1 " 

"  Precisely  so ;  but  it  would  have  amused  you,  Bailey, 
to  have  seen  the  manifestation  they  gave  me  of  their 
opinion  of  officers  of  our  profession,  when  one  of  their 
spies  came  with  information  that  I  was  a  custom-house 
detective,  betraying  them  I  I  was  alone  with  them,  on 
the  bank  of  the  river,  about  midnight ;  alone  with  a  half 
dozen  smugglers,  and  the  very  worst  men  I  ever  knew. 
They  gave  me  a  very  brief,  mock  trial,  and  convicted  me 
of  being  a  ' deceptive  and  treacherous  scoundrel  I '  'It 
was  their  opinion,'  said  one  of  the  mildest  of  them,  'that 
I  didn't  deserve  an  honorable  discharge  from  any  decent 
band  of  robbers !  and  much  less  from  the  fraternity  of 
free  traders  1 '  Another  declared  that  '  it  wasn't  safe  to 
give  such  a  villain  a  safe  acquittal ! ' 

"  At  the  moment  I  started  to  escape  from  them,  I  had 
occasion  to  believe  myself  in  danger !  And,  by  Jove !  the 
discovery  the  next  morning  of  two  bullet  holes  in  the 
flying  portion  of  my  coat,  confirmed  me  in  the  opinion 
tliat  I  hadn't  taken  my  departure  any  too  quick ;  and 
that  in  all  probability,  I  had  lost  their  confidence !  And, 
furthermore,  Bailey,  on  that  occasion  I  don't  think  they 
were  shooting   to   frighten  me !     There  was  too  much 


•  ''  J 


M  >il 


p|iU': 


m 


Ill 


I 


I 


210 


A    flTOUY    OF    NIAGARA. 


meaning  in  those  bullet  holes!  For  scvcnil  days  after- 
wards 1  also  felt  a  sore  sensation,  i)utting  nie  in  recollec- 
tion of  heavy  cow-hide  boots  which  had  come  before  tlie 
shooting,  into  forcible  contact  with  indiscriminate  por- 
tions, so  to  speak,  of  my  mortal  body  1" 

After  some  further  conversation  our  two  detectives 
sej)arated. 

Four  days  later  the  canal-boat,  loaded  with  shorts  and 
flour  in  Canada,  was  towed  out  of  the  Welland  Canal ; 
and  on  reaching  Buffalo  the  expected  fraudulent  entry 
was  made,  when  the  boat  and  cargo  were  seized  by  the 
oflicers  of  customs. 

Benjamin  afterwards  received  a  letter  from  his  friend, 
Mr.  Baldwin,  in  Washington,  congratulating  him  on 
being  the  first  to  detect  that  class  of  unlawful  entries. 
The  government  thereafter  took  extra  precautions  to 
collect  duties  in  similar  cases,  and  many  thousand  dollars 
was  saved  to  the  country  before  the  lleciprocity  Treaty 
was,  in  1866,  finally  abrogated  by  the  United  States. 

Benjamin  next  attempted  to  gain  the  confidence  of 
some  of  the  whisky  smugglers.  For  this  purpose  he 
took  lodgings  at  a  tavern  in  Chippewa.  The  boisterous 
nonsense,  the  profane  and  obscene  levity  of  assembled 
drinkers,  smokers  and  topers,  in  the  bar-room,  on  the 
first  evening,  sickened  him  of  his  undertaking.  Ilis 
mind  reverted  to  his  country  home,  and  to  his  sister's 
cautious  warnings,  and  his  own  resolution  on  that  after- 
noon when  the  telegram  announced  his  appointment. 

From  these  reflections,  however,  he  was  soon  startled 
by  hearing  the  landlord  address  a  man  with  a  gray  beard 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


211 


l)y  a  n.inio  \vlii(;li  lie  liad  lioard  h\A  rnotlior  speak  of  in 
connection  witii  liis  f^randlUtlier  Bailey \s  will  I 

"I  say,  Figsley,"  said  the  landlord,  "take  my  advice 
to-night,  and  go  home  sober!" 

"Whoso  business — Mr.  Tibbies,  is  my  business? — so 
long — as  I've  no  wife — and — no  children  as  I  know  of — I 
think,  Tibbies — I  could  stand — about  one — glass  more!" 
bewildered  out  the  man  addressed  as  Figsley. 

"  I'll  be  d d  if  you  get  another  glass  here  i>niglit," 

roi)lied  landlord  Tibbies.  For  landlord  Tibbies  feared 
that  too  much  drinking  (his  idea  of  too  much)  might 
make  his  bar-room  unmanageable. 

"Say,  Tibbies,  say,"  hiccoughed  Figsley,  with  a  wicked 
grin,  "do  you  —  you  think  —  you  would  —  ever  be — 
damned,  wholly — on  my  account — oh  ?  " 

"If  not,  I  oiifjht  to  be,  for  selling  liquor  to  such  men 
as  you ! " 

"I'm  glad  to  hear  you — say  so!"  retorted  Figsley. 
"It's  a  good  confession — worthy  to  be — said  before  any — 
priest  of  your  parsuasion  ! " 

"At  any  rate,  Mr.  Figsley,  you  can't  have  any  more 
here,  to-night" 

"  Well,  I'm — dev'lish  glad — to  hear  you  say  so — to  a 
man  of  my  education  —  Mr.  Tibbies  —  glad  you've  re- 
formed. I  think  all — the  more  of  you  for  it — /  do,  Mr. 
Tibbies!" 

So  saying,  he  took  a  huge  quid  of  tobacco  from  his 
mouth,  crammed  another  in,  and  staggered  out  of  the 
bar-room  into  the  street 

Here  a  man,  apparently  a  day  laborer,  with  old  age 


1 

\H 

1' 

212 


A   STORY   OF   NIAGARA, 


hurrying  upon  him,  approached  the  bar.  His  poor  but 
well-patched  clothes  and  clean  shirt  collar,  bespoke  the 
efforts  of  a  patient  and  enduring  wife.  lie  called  for  a 
glass  of  whisky.  Landlord  Tibbies  placed  the  decanter 
and  tumbler  before  him.  The  poor  old  man  filled  the 
glass  to  the  brim  ;  then  placing  one  hand  on  the  handle 
of  the  water-pitcher,  he  raised  the  whisky  with  the  other 
to  his  lips ;  then  he  hesitated,  and  leaning  over  the  bar 
whispered  something  to  the  landlord. 

"I've  told  you  times  enough,"  replied  the  landlord, 
with  the  most  blasphemous  oaths  and  curses,  "that  I 
don't  trust  my  liquor  till  no  Saturday  night ! " 

The  old  man  still  hesitated,  when  landlord  Tibbies, 
with  a  new  set  of  oaths,  ordered  him  to  let  the  liquor 
alone,  and  set  down  the  glass.  But  the  poor  slave  to 
drink  making  no  reply,  turned  the  coveted  fluid  down 
lis  throat  and  slowly  went  from  the  bar,  bearing  both 
shame  and  abuse. 

One  of  the  company  remarked  to  another,  sitting  near 
Benjamin : 

"  If  Pat  was  as  big  a  rascal  as  old  Figsley,  he  could 
get  money  to  pay  for  his  whisky  without  coming  down 
to  that  I " 

"  Did  you  ever  hear  how  old  Figsley  gets  his  money  ?  " 
asked  another. 

"I  know  what  I  think  about  it,"  replied  the  first. 
"  It's  my  opinion  he  and  that  Vroman  on  the  other  side 
of  the  river,  are  doing  a  mighty  good  business  smug- 
gling ! " 

"  Figsley !   Figsley  1 "  thought  Benjamin,  at  the  first 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


213 


mention  of  that  name.  "Possibly  this  is  the  Figsley 
who  was  a  witness  to  my  grandfather's  will.  But  his 
surprise  was  still  greater  when  Vroman,  another  name  to 
the  will,  was  spoken  of  with  Figsley.  If  such  men,  he 
pondered,  were  witnesses,  no  wonder  that  Judge  Bailey 
was  suspected  of  something  wrong  in  a  will  so  contrary 
to  my  grandfather's  known  wishes.  Who  knows  what 
time  may  not  develop  ?  And  what  a  fool  I  have  been 
that  I  have  so  often  and  so  easily  yielded  to  opposing 
circumstances.  Is  this  the  way  to  fight  the  battle  of  life  ? 
No ! "  said  Benjamin  Bailey,  to  himself,  almost  audibly, 
"  and  if  I  let  Judge  Bailey  deprive  me  of  Laura  Som- 
mors,  and  do  not  devise  ways  to  aid  time  in  bringing  out 
the  truth,  I  shall  deserve  to  lose  her ! "  And  he  resolved 
to  know  more  of  these  two  men.  If  Judge  Bailey's 
secret  history  were  in  part  known  to  them,  perhaps  here 
was  an  opportunity  to  detect  something  more  than  smug- 
gling— something  tangible  for  himseM,  and  convincing 
for  the  ear  of  Mr.  Sommers. 

But  Benjamin  could  not  penetrate  yet  that  hidden 
future,  so  dark  to  mortal  eyes ;  and  so  he  little  dreamed 
how  much  was  soon  to  be  lighted  up  as  that  future  rolled 
into  the  present — lighted  from  what  seemed  to  be  acci- 
dental sparks  on  the  tinder  of  time's  events. 

0,  how  searchingly  then  will  their  "sins  find  them  out" 
and  "bring  sudden  destruction"  upon  theml 


W:    If 


IP  J 


» til 


CHAPTEE  XXI. 

More  Things  peculiar  1  o  tlie  Frontier— A  Fair  Smuggler— Dobbins  the  new  Officer- 
Makes  a  Seizure — Falls  iu  Love— A  Custom  House  Auction— The  Smuggled  Dress 
Patterns. 

While  Benjamin  Bailey  is  endeavoring  to  perform  tlic 
duties  of  his  office  at  the  various  points  on  the  frontier, 
and  is  especially  gaining  the  confidence  of  one  smuggler 
from  whom  he  hopes  to  learn  importaLt  secrets  for  him- 
self, as  well  as  the  government,  let  us  notice  an  adventure 
of  Miss  Laura  Sommcrs  among  the  reminiscences  of  the 
custom  house. 

A  new  officer  of  customs,  Mr.  Seth  Dobbins,  had  just 
been  appointed.  His  duties  were  with  passengers  and 
their  baggage  arriving  in  the  cars  from  Canada  upon  the 
Great  Western  Kailway,  which  runs  across  the  celebrated 
suspension  bridge  into  the  United  States,  terminating  at 
the  depots  of  the  Erie  and  the  New  York  Central  Kailroads, 
where  the  passengers  at  this  time  changed  cars  for  the  East 
or  South.  In  the  hurry  of  changing  cars  a  better  oppor- 
tunity for  smuggling  goods,  concealed  under  the  clothing 
worn  by  ladies,  had  been  afforded  here,  than  by  walking 
or  riding  across  the  lower  floor  of  this  peculiar  transit 
from  one  nation  to  another.  But  now  new  orders  had  been 
given  by  the  goveriuneiit.     All  women  suspected  of  hav- 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


215 


ing  any  dutiable  goods  concealed  among  their  wearing 
ai)parel,  were  to  be  required  by  the  officials  to  report  to  an 
inspcctrcss.  To  create  a  suspicion  of  smuggling,  it  was 
considered  enough  if  an  official  was  informed  that  the 
American  ladies  had  been  seen  to  enter  Canadian  stores. 
Sometimes  the  very  clerks  who  had  sold  the  goods  were 
secretly  engaged  and  paid  by  detectives  as  informers ! 

One  day  several  highly  respectable  ladies,  among  whom 
was  Miss  Laura  Sommei's,  were  seen  to  cross  the  suspen- 
sion bridge  on  foot  and  to  take  the  cars  in  Canada.  Our 
old  detective,  Bedan,  took  that  same  train,  got  off  at  the 
same  station.  Less  than  two  hours  afterwards  the  col- 
lector of  customs  received  a  telegram  in  secret  cypher, 
which  meant  a  description  of  these  ladies.  Then  imme- 
diately Dobbins,  the  new  officer,  received  special  orders. 
When  the  next  train  arrived,  these  ladies  and  a  large 
number  of  others,  were  surprised  when  officer  Dobbins 
requested  them  to  report  to  the  lady  officer,  whose  room 
he  pointed  out. 

Now  it  happened  fortunately  for  Laura's  friends,  who 
were  with  her,  that  through  caution,  they  had  arranged 
to  have  their  goods  taken  charge  of  by  friends  living 
upon  the  Canada  side  of  the  river  till  some  subsequent 
day,  when  they  would  call  upon  these  friends,  be  seen  to 
enter  no  store,  secrete  their  goods  upon  their  persons,  and 
return,  like  nine-tenths  of  all  who  cross  the  bridge,  with- 
out justifiable  suspicion  of  smuggling. 

But  Miss  Sommers  had  been  less  cautious.  She  did 
not  leave  her  new  purchases  ujjon  the  Canada  side  in  the 
care  of  friends   for  a  future   visit.     Like   hundreds  of 


m. 


• .  i* 


:  Oi 


216 


A   STORY   OF   NIAGARA. 


i* 


others  she  more  than  half  believed  that  she  had  a  clear 
title  to  what  she  bought  "  for  her  own  use  and  with  her 
own  money,  and  not  to  sell  again."  She  had  purchased 
a  merino  dress  pattern  and  some  velvet  for  trimmings, 
which,  for  reasons  that  she  afterwards  expressed  to  officer 
Dobbins  she  had  concealed  under  the  mantilla  she  that 
day  wore.  There  had  been  little  prospect  of  any  lady 
escaping;  for  Dobbins  believed  that  with  silk  at  half 
price,  no  lady  would  hesitate  to  buy  at  least  ribbon 
enough  for  bonnet  strings.  After  having  taken  his  oath 
of  office  to  be  faithful  in  collecting  the  duties,  he  acted 
upon  principle,  and,  being  a  new  officer,  counted  nothing 
too  small  to  collect ;  till,  at  last,  he  was  blamed  by  the 
collector  for  annoying  the  public  by  obeying  orders  too 
strictly. 

Of  course,  then,  Miss  Sommers  and  her  lady  friends 
were  required  to  report  to  the  inspectress.  Laura's  friends 
(thanks  to  their  caution)  passed  innocent !  but  her  own 
purchases  were  found.  And  a  few  minutes  later  the 
merino  dress  pattern  and  the  velvet  trimmings  were  deliv- 
ered into  the  hands  of  officer  Dobbins. 

Miss  Sommers  then  inquired  if  she  could  have  the 
goods  by  paying  the  duty  upon  them. 

Mr.  Dobbins  hesitated ;  Miss  Sommers  was  beautiful  ; 
Mr.  Dobbins  had  already  thought  so,  and  was  embar- 
rassed. He  remembered  his  oath,  and  yet  he  wanted  to 
please  the  fair  girl  before  him,  and  he  said : 

"  Madam,  I  regret  very  much — in  this  case — that  I  am 
obliged  to  deprive  you  of  these  goods.  Indeed,  I  would 
be  glad  to  pass  them  unnoticed,  if  it  were  not  for  my 
oath  of  office." 


'"I 


A    STORY    OF   NIAGARA. 


217 


"  I  beg  your  pardon,  sir,  but  I  think  it  is  generally 
believed  by  the  best  of  our  citizens  that  a  custom-house 
officer  has  no  right  to  take  articles  purchased  for  one's 
own  use.  They  think  it  ought  not  to  be  considered 
smuggling,  sir." 

"  I  suppose.  Madam,  that  the  concealment  of  the  goods 
would  be  evidence  of  intention — to — smuggle."  Then 
Dobbins  was  angry  at  himself  for  the  way  he  had  said 
this !  He  might  have  used  some  milder  word  tlian  smug- 
gle! So  he  added:  "I'm  sorry,  but  I  suppose  that  that 
is  why  the  government  does  not  allow  me  to  give  back 
the  goods  and  take  the  duty  in  such  cases." 

"No,  sir,  I  beg  your  pardon  again;  the  concealment 
does  not,  in  my  case,  prove  that  I  intended  to  smuggle — 
only  I  was  afraid  you  officers  would  be  so  unreasonable 
as  to  charge  me  duty  when  I  knew  that  a  great  many 
smart  people  say  we  have  a  right  to  buy  such  little  things 
for  our  own  use  on  the  frontier  here." 

"Your  reply,"  said  Mr.  Dobbins,  smiling,  "is  a  very 
good  one.  Concealment  because  officers  might  be  unrea- 
sonable is  another  motive,  I  admit.  I  presume,  however, 
that  you  do  not  reside  here,  or,  are  not  acquainted  with 
the  rules  of  the  custom  house." 

"  Yes,  sir,"  said  Miss  Sommers,  smiling  at  the  confes- 
sion she  was  about  to  make,  "I  do  reside  very  near  here; 
and  I  am  acquainted  with  the  custom  of  people  getting 
a  great  many  little  articles  in  Canada  without  paying 
duty!" 

"  You  turn  my  reasoning  very  well,  Madam ;  and  yet," 
10 


i--   i  \ 


mM 


i! 


218 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


said  the  new  officer,  "  it  seems  strange  to  me  that  so  many- 
people  think  it  right  to to  do  so." 

*'  Some  of  you  officers  call  everything  smuggling ;  but 
we  don't !  When  we  buy  a  yard  of  ribbon  or  a  dress, 
we  think  it  is  ours ;  and  I'm  sure  it  is  no  moral  wrong  1 " 

Mr.  Dobbins  had  never  before  seen  Miss  Sommers,  to 
his  knowledge,  but  he  began  to  be  certain  that  he  admired 
her.  And  his  conviction  seemed  to  grow  stronger  that 
she  was  beautiful  I  What  sbe  had  said,  and  how  she  had 
said  it,  pleased  mm.  So  he  said  with  as  much  suavity  as 
he  could : 

''  Then  you  do  not  think  it  wrong  for  ladies  to — avoid 
the  laws  about  duties,  do  you? " 

"Wrong?"  repeated  Miss  Sommers,  in  a  low  voice, 
and  as  if  to  gain  a  moment's  thought  before  replying, 
"No,  not  wrong — in  one  sense."  And  then  addressing 
her  friend,  Mrs.  Fairfield,  who  had  been  making  some 
inquiries  of  the  inspectress,  she  added  as  a  further  answer 
to  Mr.  Dobbins'  moral  question  in  reference  to  smuggling : 
"  Do  you  think,  Mrs.  Fairfield,  that  ladies,  who  are  not 
allowed  to  vote  on  any  law  whatever,  are  bound  to  believe 
in  high  tariff,  and  in  prohibiting  trade,  because  politicians 
do?" 

"  No,  Miss  Sommers,  I  do  not,"  said  Mrs.  Fairfield ; 
"  neither  do  I  believe  that  because  a  custom-house  official 
is  legally  right,  that  we  are  therefore  morally  wrong  I " 
Mrs.  Fairfield,  however,  was  very  agreeable  in  her  manner 
of  expression. 

:    And  officer  Dobbins  smiled  while  he  remarked,  "  that 
he  supposed  eveiybody  ought  to  obey  the  laws." 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


219 


"I  tliink,"  rejoined  Miss  Sommers,  "that  it  is  worse  to 
make  some  laws  than  it  is  to  break  them.  I  know  that 
my  father  was  proud  of  the  fact  that  he  used  to  violate 
the  Fugitive  Slave  Law.  He  would  keep  slaves  over 
night,  and  give  them  something  to  eat,  and  help  them  to 
get  into  Canada,  away  from  the  sLwe-catchers,  in  spite  of 
the  law ! " 

"  But  this  young  lady  was  not  bringing  goods  here  for 
sale,"  said  Mrs.  Fairfield. 

"Are  you  going  to  be  so  strict,  sir,  as  to  keep  my  dress 
pattern  ?  "  asked  Laura, 

"I  am  obliged  to  do  so,  Madam,  by  orders  in  such 
cases,  from  head-quarters." 

"  Will  you  be  kind  enough,  sir,  to  tell  me  where  is 
head-qu  irters  ?  I'll  go  and  see  if  I  have  done  such  a 
great  wrong." 

Mr.  Dobbins  very  politely  referred  her  to  the  office  of 
the  collector,  but  said  that  "even  he  had  no  right  to 
restore  the  goods,  because  the  law  required  them  to  be 
sold  at  auction  by  the  government." 

"  I  have  been  told,"  replied  Miss  Sommers,  "  that  the 
officers  get  one-quarter  of  all  the  goods  they  seize." 

Although  she  endeavored  to  soften  the  remark  with  a 
good-natured  smile,  yet  Mr.  Dobbins  thought  he  knew 
that  her  intelligent  blue  eyes  looked  as  if  she  intended 
to  hint  that  officials  for  that  reason  were  over-strict 
That  she  did  so  intend  her  remarks  I  have  no  doubt. 
Mr.  Dobbins  was  embarrassed ;  and  before  he  could  reply 
Mrs.  Fairfield  had  told  Laura  that  the  collector  also  gets 
one-quarter  of  the  proceeds  from  seizures ;  and  that  one- 


TV. 

III 


220 


A   STOllY    OF   NIAGARA. 


!  I 


l': 


half  goes  to  the  government ;  she  thought  everybody  on 
the  frontier  knew  that.  Then  the  ladies  walked  away 
from  the  presence  of  Mr.  Dobbins  and  the  inspectress. 
But  as  they  turned  to  go  Mr.  Dobbins  was  certain  that 
Miss  Sommers  had  replied  to  Mrs.  Fairfield,  that  "if  the 
officers  were  all  interested  then  her  dress  pattern  had 
gone  to  the  dogs ! " 

The  first  moment  that  Mr.  Dobbins  found  himself 
alone,  he  had  a  little  talk  to  himself.  "Just  my  kind  of 
luck,  exactly,"  said  he,  "fiallibg  in  love  at  first  sight,  with 
a  stranger.  Confusion  1  a  slight  aberation  of  mind, 
already  !  Of  course  a  '■stranger^  if  at  '■first^  sight!  They 
say  that  love  is  blind ;  and  I  should  say  that  I  should 
say  so — under  existing  circumstances.  Mr.  Seth  Dob- 
bins, allow  me  to  say  that  you — that  is,  I — haven't  any 
chance  at  all.  I  don't  think,  Seth,  that  she  would  care 
even  to  make  my  acquaintance.  Her  dress  pattern,  with 
all  its  little  fixings,  which  she  bought  with  her  own 
money,  etc.,  is  in  my  custody — ^your  custody,  Mr.  Dob- 
bins— and  the  collector's — and  it  is  her  expressed  oi)inion 
that  it  has  gone  to  the  dogs ! " 

"  Let  me  see !  I  treated  her  politely,  and  she  smiled 
and  acted  good-natured,  and  so  did  I ;  and  '  a  faint  heart 
never  won  a  fair  lady ! '  Her  name  is  Miss  Sommers — 
so  the  lady  called  her — and  she  lives  near  here;  and 
Seth  Dobbins  must  make  some  opportunity  to  make  her 
acquaintance ! " 

"  What  could  she  have  meant,"  said  Dobbins  to  him- 
self, the  next  day,  "by  saying  that  goods  in  the  hands  of 
officials  had  '  gone  to  the  dogs  ? '     Did  she  mean  it  as  a 


A   STORY    OF   NIAGARA. 


221 


hopeless  or  a  sarcastic  expression?"  Then,  too,  the 
expression  was  not  a  very  refined  one ;  but  he  told  him- 
self that  very  well  bred  ladies — and  very  amiable  ladies, 
too,  under  perplexing  circumstances,  did  sometimes  unfor- 
tunately, use  unclioice  expressions,  so  that,  as  Mr.  Dob- 
bins was  charitable  enough  to  suppose,  they  could  not  be 
charged  with  the  vanity  of  thinking  themselves  perfec- 
tion. So  it  troubled  him  most  to  decide  what  was  her 
meaning.  Finding  that  Mr.  Riggs,  one  of  his  brother 
officials,  was  well  acquainted  with  Deacon  Sommers'  fam- 
ily, Mr.  Dobbins  ventured  to  ask  him  his  opinion  on  the 
ambiguous  expression. 

But  Mr.  Riggs  preferred  to  let  the  attractive  Miss  Som- 
mers manage  her  own  case ;  consequently  he  assured  his 
bachelor  friend  that  it  was  impossible  to  say  which  mean- 
ing she  had  intended ;  as  it  was  impossible  for  him  to 
understand  what  impressions  they  may  have  made  upon 
each  other  under  the  peculiar  circumstances  of  the  intro- 
duction. 

If  his  friend  Dobbins  were  "  in  love  de  facto  " — Mr.  Riggs 
had  heard  the  village  lawyer  say  de  facto — then  in  his 
opinion,  all  that  Dobbins  could  do,  was  "to  manage  his 
case  judiciously!"  Perhaps  it  would  be  best  "to  wait 
future  developments  and  treat  the  symptoms  homceopa- 
thically,  that  is  specifically  as  they  come  up."  "By  all 
means,"  said  Mr.  Riggs,  with  emphasis,  "until  you  under- 
stand this  case  act  homoeopathically.  Don't  make  things 
worse  before  you  try  to  make  them  better.  Don't  add 
more  difficulties,  and  thus  amputate  what  little  prospects 
you  may  now  have." 


m 


■-* 


f 


tV\r 


it 


<p* 


222 


A    STOIIY    OF    NIAGARA. 


As  liiggs  used  the  word  amputate^  Dobbins  smiled  ; 
and  then  liiggs  did  the  same,  Jind  turned  his  high-sound- 
ing nonsense  into  something  more  like  practicable  advice. 
" Dobbins,"  said  he,  "get  some  middle-aged  lady  friend 
to  find  out  and  tell  you  what  Miss  Sommers  thinks  of 
that  new  officer,  Mr.  Seth  Dobbins.  Then  you  can  tell 
what  to  do  next." 

"Mr.  Seth  Dobbins,"  said  Dobbins,  addressing  himself, 
after  leaving  the  presence  of  Mr.  Riggs,  "in  the  first 
place,  you — I — had  better  let  this  affair  rest  till  this  seiz- 
ure matter  is  a  little  out  of  her  thoughts."  And  then  the 
ambiguous  expression  recurred  to  him  again — whether 
Miss  Sommers  had  meant  to  intimate  that  customs  officers 
were  like  a  set  of  watch-dogs.  But  then  he  knew  that 
she  had  made  a  fruitless  application  to  the  collector ;  and 
the  thought  now  came  to  him  that  this  would  prevent  her 
from  further  blaming  himself  Dobbins  thought  over 
the  matter  a  great  many  times  during  the  weeks  that 
followed  preceding  the  time  when  the  dress  goods  would 
be  sold  at  the  auction  sales.  He  dreamed  that  everything 
would  finally  turn  in  his  favor ;  that  he  would  see  Miss 
Sommers  at  the  auction  sales,  and  that  he  would  look  so 
well  in  the  eyes  of  Miss  Sommers  that  a  very  romantic 
courtship  would  follow — and  then  a  wedding. 

When  Laura  Sommers  left  the  collector's  ofiice,  with- 
out recovering  her  dress  goods,  she  began  to  believe  that 
the  new  officer,  who  had  seized  them,  had,  after  all,  tried 
to  be  very  agreeable.  And  I  have  no  doubt  that  she 
thought  of  two  circumstances :  how  easy  the  conversation 
had  been  prolonged  with  the  new  officer ;  how  short  and 


vr* 


(  Bi 


A   STORY    OF   NIAGARA. 


223 


unexplained  was  everything  with  the  collector.  The  col- 
lector was  a  man  of  years,  and  thought  only  of  the  law 
and  the  facts;  while  Mr.  Dobbins  had  before  himself 
prospective  matrimony. 

Not  long  after  the  seizure  of  the  dress  pattern,  Laura 
Sommers  noticed  among  the  items  of  seized  goods  adver- 
tised in  the  village  newspaper,  to  be  sold  at  auction,  in 
the  custom  house,  "  Ten  yards  of  purple^  merino  dress 
goods,^^  and  ^^Twenty-four  yards  velvet  trimming f^  and 
she  resolved  to  be  the  purchaser  of  her  lost  dress  goods. 

The  day  for  custom-house  sales  at  last  came  round. 
It  was  a  beautiful  morning,  and  before  10  A.  m.,  the  hour 
for  the  sales  to  begin,  there  were  a  good  number  of  ladies 
and  gentlemen  waiting  in  the  sales-room  of  the  United 
States  custom  house ;  a  large,  square,  stone  building  on 
the  north  side  of  the  railroad,  and  within  fifteen  feet  of 
the  passing  trains  just  before  they  enter  upon  the  great 
suspension  bridge.  If  you  ever  passed  this  bridge  during 
a  visit  at  Niagara  Falls,  you  have  noticed  the  building. 

Among  the  items  to  be  sold  were  three  dress  patterns 
of  Irish  poplin  and  six  bottles  of  brandy  ;  all  of  which  had 
been  found  evenly  divided  on  the  persons  of  three  gen- 
teel and  respectable  ladies,  who  had  come  across  from 
Canada  in  one  of  the  fine  can-iages  attainable  by  the 
pleasure  travel  of  that  locality.  These  ladies,  accompa- 
nied by  an  elderly  gentleman,  all  having  a  wealthy  and 
aristocratic  appearance,  had  passed  officer  Riggs,  and 
becoming  the  unfortuate  objects  of  his  suspicion,  he  had 
directed  the  ladies  to  report  to  the  inspectress ;  when  the 
said  articles  were  found  and  seized. 


m 

m 


} 


'i! 


!■■■  r   f ^: 


} 


224 


A    STORY    OF    NIAOAUA 


Mr.  Rigga  was,  tlicreforc,  early  at  the  jHaec  of  sale, 
feeling  a  jnitriotic  interest  in  seeing  tlie  po])lins  and  the 
brandy  sold  at  a  good  price,  in  order  that  the  gocernment 
share  of  the  proceeds  would  aid  in  reducing  taxation. 
Of  course  it  was  pure  patriotism,  for  tlie  government 
share  was  just  double  that  of  officer  Riggs  I  At  least 
this  is  as  plain  as  the  patriotism  of  some  who  at  this  time 
were  enlisting  in  the  army  as  privates,  with  the  under- 
standing that  they  were  to  be  promoted  to  ca])tains  and 
brigadiers  1  0,  how  we  overjiraise  men  in  high  positions, 
sometimes,  who  are  kept  patriotic  and  faithful  because  it 
is  their  stock  in  trade  I  while  oftentimes  the  poor,  ill-paid 
and  self-sacrificing  private  soldier  has  been  censured  and 
perhaps  dishonorably  discharged,  because  he  could  not 
submissively  bear  all  the  exactions  and  manners  of  (in 
many  cases)  inferior  superior ! 

Tlie  small  auction-room  was  crowded ;  some  of  the 
gentlemen,  therefore,  were  standing  in  an  adjoining  apart- 
ment, among  whom  were  Benjamin  Bailey,  Bedan,  Dob- 
bins, Riggs,  and  other  officials.  Mr.  Dobbins,  however, 
was  occasionally  going  about  the  room  where  he  hoj)ed 
Miss  Sommers  would  be  present  to  observe  him.  Benja- 
min Bailey,  at  a  proper  time  and  place,  would  have  been 
overjoyed  to  meet  Laura  Sommers.  But  now  he  desired 
not  to  be  recognized  by  any  of  the  Sommers  family — 
not  till  he  should  be  permitted  to  vindicate  himself  to 
Mr.  William  Sommers  against  his  still  unknown  slander- 
ers, did  he  desire  to  meet  her  from  whom  he  would  have 
to  part  so  sadly. 

Most  of  the  goods  had  been  sold,  when  the  auctioneer 


A   STORY  OF   NIAGARA. 


225 


nt,  last  put  up  the  poj)lins,  one  dress  pattern  at  a  time. 
Rigt^s,  who  had  made  the  seizure,  started  tlie  bidding  at 
Jifty  cents  per  yard.  At  first  the  bidding  against  him 
was  very  light,  and  to  all  a}^i)earance  the  poplins  were 
likely  to  go  at  less  than  half  their  value.  But  the  auc- 
tioneer was  a  true  officer  of  the  government ;  and  after 
having  raised  his  hammer  as  if  for  the  *' last  warning," 
ho  seemed  suddenly  to  relinquish  the  idea  of  striking  it 
off  at  so  low  a  bid,  and  after  a  moment's  pause  he  said, 
with  a  forced  seriousness  of  tone  and  manner: 

"Ladies  and  gentlemen,  I  am  astonished  that  you  will 
look  calmly  on  such  a  scene  as  this !  This  is  not  merely 
sacrificing  Irish  poplin,  if  these  goods  are  to  be  sold  at 
half  their  value.  They  are  the  property  of  the  United 
States — of  your  own  government!  Will  you  see  its 
property  wasted  or  thrown  away  for  half  price  at  an 
auction?  At  this  rate,  how  shall  we  ever  pay  our 
national  debt  of  twenty-five  hundred  millions  of  dollars? 
And  yet  you  who  pretended  to  be  patriotic  citizens,  and 
are  even  willing  to  send  all  your  poor  relations  into  the 
army  to  bleed  and  die  for  your  country — you  seem  con- 
triving not  to  bid  against  each  other !  Seventy-five  cents 
only  is  bid !  and  is  there  no  lady  here  who  will  help  run 
up  this  dress  pattern,  which  is  going  at  only  seventy-five — 
seventy-five  cents  ?  " 

"  Eighty  cents,"  said  a  new  bidder. 

"Eighty   cents,"   repeated   the   auctioneer,   "eighty — 
going  at  eighty;    who'll  give  the  dollar?    worth  three 
times  the  money,  and  going  at  eighty  cents." 
10* 


I 


226 


A   STORY    OF  NIARARA. 


1 


I 


"  Eighty-fivc,  is  bid — ninety — going  at  one  dollar,  one 
dollar,  one  dollar." 

And  tlie  auctioneer  went  on  crying  off  the  bids;  at 
which  monotonous  business  we  will  leave  him  a  moment 
to  notice  a  sample  of  the  talk  among  the  by-standers. 

Said  one  lady  in  an  undertone:  "Don't  bid  so  fast — 
not  so  quick — make  the  auctioneer  think  your  bid  is  the 
last  one!" 

"Why,  yes,"  replied  the  lady,  "if  you  seem  willing  to 
pay  a  high  price,  the  others  will  stop  bidding  against 

you." 

Another  young  lady  whispered : 

"  Mother,  don't  bid  till  they've  sold  a  few  dress  pat- 
terns ;  then  there  will  not  be  so  many  buyers ! " 

"  You  heard,"  said  another,  "  how  that  new  officer,  Mr. 
Dobbins,  seized  two  merino  dresses,  three  poplins,  and 
ever  so  many  things  from  Laura  Sommers,  did  you  not  ?  " 

"Yes,  I  know  all  about  it;  she  told  me  herself.  Only 
it  wasn't  ever  so  many  things,  at  all ;  she  only  had  one 
dress  pattern  and  a  little  trimming ;  nothing  more." 

"  0,  my  I  I  heard  she  had  more  than  she  could  carry." 

"  And  you  believed  it  ?  " 

"  Why,  I  didn't  stop  to  think  ! " 

"  I  guess  if  everybody  did  stop,  once  in  a  while,  to 
think,  we  shouldn't  hear  so  many  big  stories." 

"  Well,  she  did  have  the  Irish  poplins,  of  course,  for 
they  are  selling  one  of  them  now  ! " 

"  Does  that  prove  that  Laura  Sommers  ever  had  them  ?" 
was  the  argumentative  reply. 

"Why  I  here  is  Laura,  now,"  said  the  other. 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA 


227 


"  Of  course,  I  am,"  said  Laura,  smiling,  "  and  I'm  licro 
to  have  my  merino  dress  pattern ;  and  father  says,  if  I 
wish  to,  I  may  buy  a  dress  here  for  Sophia.  You  know- 
that  new  officer,  Mr.  Dobbins,  took  one  of  her's,  that  she 
was  bringing  from  Canada,  awhile  ago ;  and  she  is  a  poor 
girl,  too,  and  she  plays  the  organ  so  nicely  for  our  church, 
you  know." 


•9  L 

n 

■ 


CHAPTEK  XXII. 

Dobbins  gets  Deeper  in  Love  with  the  Deacon's  Daughter— Troubled  with  Nervous 
Heutul  Inquiries— Excitement  at  the  Auction — The  Mysterious  Bidder. 

The  auctioneer  was  now  offering  the  last  of  the  poplin 
dress  patterns. 

"  Eighty  cents,"  bid  Mr.  Dobbins. 

"  Eighty  cents !  eighty,  going  at  eighty  cents — and  is 
it  possible,  ladies,  that  you  will  allow  these  custom-house 
officers  after  taking  so  many  things  away  from  your 
friends — allow  such  fellows  to  bid  off  these  fine,  Irish 
poplin  dresses  at  half  the  real  value?"  Here  the  auc- 
tioneer, who  was  himself  an  official,  smiled  at  his  own 
allusions ;  and  everybody  else  smiled,  while  he  continued : 
"Will  you — can  you  allow  all  this,  after  taking  the 
trouble  that  so  many  of  you  have  to  bring  such  things 
from  a  foreign  country,  across  this  romantic  river  ?  Pos- 
sible that  these  goods  are  going  at  only  eiglity  cents  per 
yard?  at  eighty,  eighty,  eiglity — at  eighty  cents!" 

"  Eighty-five,"  said  a  stranger. 

"  Ninety,"  spoke  the  low  voice  of  a  lady,  which  Mr. 
Dobbins  did  not  recognize. 

"Ninety-five,"  offered  Mr.  Dobbins,  looking  through 
the  open  doorway  from  the  adjoining  room. 

"  One  dollar,"  spoke  the  voice  which  Mr.  Dobbins  had 
just  overbidden. 


•■■  -^ 


auc- 

own 

Lued : 

tlie 


had 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


229 


"  One  dollar,  one  dollar ;  the  gentleman's  bid  of  ninety- 
five  is  lost,  by  a  fairer  bidder,  and  shall  I  hear  any  more 
than  one  dollar?"  said  the  auctione  turning  his  eyes 
from  the  last  bidder  towards  officer  Dobbins. 

Thus  involuntarily  directed,  the  two  bidders  also  met 
each  other's  gaze.  Then  Mr.  Dobbins  knew  that  he  had 
been  bidding  against  Miss  Sommers.  lie  bowed  "with  all 
the  grace  that  embarrassment  permitted.  And  Miss 
Sommers,  whatever  she  might  have  done  had  the  oppor- 
tunity for  recognition  been  less  sudden — did  sufficiently 
recognize  officer  Dobbins  to  excuse  him  for  the  bow  that 
he  gave  her.  lie  was  certain,  too,  that  she  bowed  in 
return ;  but  it  was  so  slight  that  it  worried  him.  It  was 
in  vain  that  the  auctioneer  cried  on  for  another  bid.  >  \ 
Soth  Dobbins  had  ceased  bidding.  Miss  Sommers  had 
again  turned  his  brain  into  nervous  mental  inquiries! 
Did  she  yet  blame  him  for  the  seizure  ?  Had  she  now 
recognized  him  because  he  had  performed  that  unj)leas- 
ant  duty  so  politely  and  kindly?  Or,  might  it  not  be, 
after  all,  that  she  had  glanced  at  him  just  an  instant,  to 
see  if  his  bids  had  been  made  against  her,  knowingly, 
instead  of  her  having  a  desire  to  give  him  a  polite  recog- 
nition ?  And  then  it  flashed  over  Mr.  Dobbins — what  if 
she  were  to  get  the  impression  that  lie  had  bowed  only 
to  recognize  her  in  connection  with  the  unpleasant  seizure 
of  her  dress  pattern.  If  she  did  not  think  so  at  the 
moment,  she  would  on  reflection.  And  why  not  ?  Had 
he  not  had  the  ungallantry  to  bid  against  her?  True, 
he  had  not  known  that  it  was  she,  but  to  her  it  may  have 
seemed,  or  would  seem,  that  he  did  know.  And  this 
worried  him. 


i:  ':    .t: 


f  ■^■'  ^f. 


230 


A   STORY    OF   NIAGARA. 


Then  as  to  the  matter  of  a  lady  buying  a  few  dollars' 
worth  in  Canada,  as  Miss  Sommers  had  done,  he  had 
learned  since,  that  no  one  in  the  best  society  of  the  village 
thought  any  harm  of  it ;  and  he  was  sure  that  he  wanted 
Miss  Sommers  to  think  now  that  he,  too,  thought  no  less 
of  her  for  it. 

It  was  no  mistake  of  Laura's  that  she  thought  that 
she  distinguished  a  deep  blush  of  embaiTassment  dn  all 
of  the  unwhiskered  portion  of  Mr.  Dobbins'  face ;  and 
afterwards  the  more  she  thought  of  it  the  plainer  she 
knew  that  she  had  noticed  a  quiver  of  his  mustache. 
This  impression,  however,  may  have  come  through  her 
imagination. 

The  auctioneer  got  no  other  bid,  and  the  poplin  dress 
pattern  was  struck  off  at  what  was,  in  those  war  times, 
not  more  than  half  its  value. 

"There,"  whispered  Laura  to  Miss  Percival,  "I've  got 
a  nicer  bargain  for  Sophia  than  either  of  us  made  in 
Canada." 

"And  a  much  safer  bargain,"  added  Miss  Percival, 
with  a  smile. 

"  Yes,"  responded  Laura,  "it  was  too  bad  for  us  to  lose 
our  Canadian  goods  when  (ke  rest  of  you  always  have  such 
good  luckl"  And  then  before  Miss  Percival  could  put 
in  a  rejoinder,  Laura  proceeded  to  declare  that  she  did 
not  like  custom-house  ofi&cials;  especially  the  one  who 
had  just  bid  against  her;  but  she  would  just  like  "to 
know  if  that  Mr.  Dobbins  did  that  on  purpose ! " 

"O,  you  don't  like  him,"  whispered  Miss  Percival, 
very  perceptibly  enlarging  the  orbs  of  her  lovely  blue 


A   STORY   OF   NIAGARA. 


231 


liars' 
liad 
Lllage 
anted 
oless 

t  that 
on  all 
i;  and 
sr  slie 
Btaclie. 
yh  her 

1  dress 
times, 

;'ve  got 
lade  in 

ercival, 

to  lose 
,ve  such 
mid  put 
she  did 
)ne  who 

ike  "to 

ercival, 
ely  blue 


eyes,  "but  you  ivoidd  just  like  to  know  what  he  is  think- 
ing of  you!" 

"  No,  not  that ;  but  I  was  just  thinking " 

"  0,  no,  you  don't  like  him,"  interrupted  Miss  Percival, 
"  but  you  would  just  like  to  know  if  he  stopped  bidding 
the  moment  he  saw  it  was  you,  and  made  that  interesting 
bow — on  purpose ! " 

"  Are  you  afraid  that  he  is  going  to  like  me  ?  "  retorted 
Laura,  good-naturedly. 

"  I  ?     I  never  spoke  with  him.     But  I  hear  that  he  is 

the  best  one  among  the  whole  dozen  officials  in  this  place." 

"Best  one?  how?  best  fellow,  or  best  officer?" 

"  The  best  beau,  I  mean.     What  else  should  I  mean  ?  " 

"  But,  Clara  Percival,  you  can't  think  he  wants  to  be 

my  beau — seizing  my  dress  pattern — bidding  against  me. 

Doesn't  it  look  as  though  some  unlucky  star  had  fated  us 

to  an  unfavorable  acquaintance  ?  " 

'"Truth  is  stranger  than  fiction,'"  said  Miss  Percival. 
And  Miss  Percival  might  have  added  that  gossip  is 
stranger  than  either.  Mr.  Dobbins  was  a  new  officer,  and 
whatever  is  new  gets  into  the  mouth  of  gossip.  Gossip 
had  said  that  Mr.  Dobbins  wouldn't  be  thought  much  of 
here,  if  he  persisted  in  being  so  strict  about  small  pur- 
chases ;  and  then  gossip  contradicted  itself,  and  declared 
that  Dobbins  allowed  the  policemen  to  smuggle  all  the 
whisky  they  wanted  —  and  the  Justice,  too!  and  that 
Dobbins  permitted  some  ladies  to  pass  him  that  were 
" completely  loaded  down"  with  smuggled  goods.  Mrs. 
Limberlingual,  whost:  tongue  sometimes  runs  faster  than 
her  thoughts,  declared  that  "she  had  heard,  with  her  own 


I 
i ' 


'if 


■■r 


IlilW 


232 


A   STORY    OF   NIAGARA. 


lips,  tliat  Sopliia  What's-er-name,  had  told  somebody, 
that  Mr.  Dobbins,  or  Doublebins,  or  some  of  the  officers, 
didn't  pretend  to  susjject  some  folks /'^  Mrs.  Listenviel,  on 
the  contrary,  had  asserted  "that  there  was  no  truth  in 
this  report — else  she  would  have  heard  of  it — and  conse- 
quently that  Sophia  had  said  nothing  of  the  kind ;  and 
that  it  wasn't  true  if  she  had ! " 

There  is  no  place  in  the  world  like  a  small  village  for 
gossip  to  develop  itself  into  perfect  imperfection.  It  is 
only  necessary  that  something  either  does  happen  or  does 
not  happen,  when  straightway  somebody  feels  inspired  to 
see  that  said  something  has  a  relation  to  other  possible  or 
impossible  events.  Consequently  gossip  said  everything 
about  everything,  but  on  account  of  gossip's  known 
weakness  in  such  matters,  neither  his  truths  nor  his  false- 
hoods seemed  to  injure  any  one;  probably  because  the 
one  was  known  seldom  to  be  separate  from  the  other ! 

It  had  been  reported  very  confidentially  among  a  very 
few  that  Mr.  Dobbins  was  holding  a  correspondence  with 
Miss  Sommers,  and  that  they  were  engaged  to  be  mar- 
ried, and  that  Mrs.  Fairfield  had  said  so.  Mrs.  Faii-field, 
however,  had  been  inquired  of,  and  she  affirmed  that  she 
had  never  said  so,  and  never  had  heard  such  an  intima- 
tion. All  she  remembered  saying  was,  that  at  the  time 
of  the  seizure  of  Laura's  dress,  she  had  noticed  their 
^^ holding  quite  a  conversation/^^  or  in  reference  to  that 
conversation  she  may  have  said  that  "they  were  quite 
engaged."  She  remembered  saying  that  Laura  Sommers 
was  a  sensible  and  high-minded  girl ;  and  no  doubt 
respected  officer  Dobbins  for  the  honesty  which  made 


w\ 


:    1*! 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


233 


lum  do  Ins  duty  ;  and  perhaps  admired  liis  pleasant  way 
of  doing  an  unpleasant  duty. 

But  we  must  now  return  to  the  auctioneer,  for  he  is 
announcing  that  he  "will  sell  'a  purple  merino  dress 
pattern,'  which  was  imported  into  this  country  from  across 
the  river,  he  presumed,  by  a  lady  of  taste ;  and  conse- 
quently everybody  present  could  rely  upon  the  goods 
being  of  the  very  best  style  and  quality.  He  presumed 
that  the  lady  must  have  forgotten  to  report  it  to  the 
custom  house ! " 

By  this  time  the  auctioneer  had  displayed  the  goods, 
and  it  had  been  whispered  among  the  by-standers  that 
it  was  the  dress  pattern  which  Miss  Sommers  had  pur- 
chased in  Canada.  The  auctioneer  called  for  a  bid,  but 
for  some  reason  there  w^as  a  reluctance  to  bidding.  It 
was  usual  for  the  seizing  officer  to  start  the  bidding,  and 
see  that  the  goods  were  sold  as  high  as  possible.  But  in 
this  case  officer  Dobbins  had  told  himself  that  he  should 
do  nothing  of  the  kind.  Miss  Sommers  he  now  knew 
was  present,  and  he  was  certain  that  he  would  not  inter- 
fere with  her  dress  pattern  any  further. 

Mr.  Dobbins  was  in  love,  and  he  knew  that  he  was  in 
love ;  and  under  the  unfavorable  circumstances  he  feared 
that  he  was  hopelessly  in  love.  And  again  he  was 
troubled  with  mental  questions :  hadn't  he  better  write  a 
short  note  to  Miss  Sommers  to  apologize?  And  wliat 
could  he  lose  by  asking  at  the  same  time  the  pleasure  of 
making  her  acquaintance  ? 

But  Air.  Dobbins  realized  the  fact  that  it  was  easier  to 
a>^k  Uinisclf  questions  than  to  give  himself  satisfactory 
answers. 


«•  i. 


*  *■ 


I 


1: 


sit  V 


234 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


"IIow  mucli  is  offered?"  cried  the  auctioneer. 

"  Fifty  cents  a  yard,"  said  Miss  Sommers. 

*'  It  is  Miss  Sommers,  the  lady  who  lost  the  goods,  that 
just  made  the  bid,"  said  Mr.  Dobbins,  as  he  passed  officer 
Riggs  and  detective  Bailey,  "and  out  of  compliment  I 
hope  the  villagers  will  not  bid  against  her." 

It  was  well  for  the  present  comfort  of  both,  that  Mr. 
Seth  Dobbins  and  Mr.  Benjamin  Bailey  did  not  know 
that  they  were  rival  lovers ! 

"Is  it  possible,"  cried  the  auctioneer,  observing  the 
reluctance  to  bid,  "  that  you  will  see  this  fine  merino  sold 
at  one-quarter  its  value  ?  Where  is  your  patriotism  thus 
to  stand  by  and  see  your  country's  property  sacrificed  ?  " 

Nobody  seemed  inclined  to  bid  against  Miss  Sommers. 
This  was,  indeed,  a  compliment  to  Laura  Sommers  among 
her  neighbors.  The  man  of  mental  inquiries  knew  it, 
and  asked  himself  if  she  would  ever  forgive  him,  and 
then  if  she  would  love  him.  He  must  wait  and  see! 
Ilaste  would  surely  dash  away  his  little  hopes. 

But  liow  about  the  other?  the  one  who  once  knew 
that  Laura  loved  him !  He,  too,  was  waiting.  He  was 
waiting  for  truth  to  reveal  the  assassins  of  his  hopes. 
He  knew  that  the  innocent  were  often  destroyed  by  the 
guilty.  For  himself  he  was  sad  and  almost  hopeless. 
Perhaps  it  were  well  if  Laura,  so  long  as  she  were  for- 
bidden to  see  him,  believed  him  unworthy.  He  knew 
that  she  was  then  in  the  auction  room  and  his  heart  beat 
in  gladness  for  her  over  the  pleasure  she  must  feel  to 
know  that  her  village  neighbors  so  evidently  intended 
the  compliment  in  refusing  to  bid  against  her  off  this 
occasion. 


A    STORY    OF   NIAGARA. 


235 


The  auctioneer  liad  raised  his  hammer  for  the  "last 
call,"  when  a  man  of  mysterious  character — mysterious 
because  that  which  was  known  indicated  to  the  villagers 
that  there  was  much  more  that  should  he  known — ap- 
proached and  examined  the  merino.  While  he  was  turn- 
ing the  cloth  over  and  over  and  tearing  the  edge  to  try 
its  strength,  a  voice  inquired : 

"  What  does  John  Vroman  want  of  such  a  dress  —a 
man  that  abuses  his  wife  as  he  does?  " 

"  May  be  he's  going  to  hire  his  daughter  Jerusha  to 
come  home  again,"  said  another. 

"  Can't  dwell.  Going  at  fifty  cents  a  yard,"  said  the 
auctioneer. 

"Fifty-two  cents,"  said  John  Vroman,  with  as  much 
attempt  at  dignity  as  if  the  villagers  had  always  respected 
him — and  there  was  one  class  who  had  deceived  "old 
Vroman"  (as  they  called  him  behind  his  back)  into  an 
idea  that,  do  what  he  would,  his  money  would  keep  a 
few  true  friends  around  him. 

"  Sixty  cents,"  was  bid  by  Miss  Sommers. 

"  Sixty-two,"  said  John  Vroman. 

"  Old  Vroman,"  said  a  rough  voice,  "is  bidding  to  spite 
a  dacent  family,  be  jabers !  because  they  are  afther 
knowin'  that  he's  an  ould  hypocrite,  an'  it's  meself  that's 
knowin'  it,  too,  be  jabers !  for  twinty  years  or  more." 

John  Vroman  was  grinning  as  if  all  that  could  be  said 
against  him  were  mere  jokes  1  But  if  Benjamin  Bailey 
Lad  heard  the  name  John  Vroman,  he  might  have  thought 
of  suspicious  circumstances  related  of  the  will  of  Benja- 
min's grandfather. 


(i 


'H% 


*'Mi-- 


236 


A    STORY    OF   NIAGARA. 


?  I 


"  Eij^lity  cents,"  said  Miss  Sommcrs. 

"  Eighty-five,"  said  old  Vroman. 

"  One  dollar,"  was  then  offered  by  Miss  Sommers. 

And  still  John  Vroman  advanced  the  bid.  The  by- 
standers seemed  to  be  looking  on  with  interest;  and  Miss 
Sommers,  determined  to  release  herself  from  their  atten- 
tion, by  bidding  so  high  that  John  Yrorcan  could  make 
nothing  by  another  bid,  so  she  offered  ; 

"  One  dollar  seventy-five  cents ! " 

The  auctioneer  cried  off  the  bid.  Nobody  wanted  old 
Vroman  to  win  the  battle.  Nobody  now  believed  that 
he  would.  But  just  as  the  hammer  was  raised  to  strike 
off  the  goods  John  Vroman  raised  the  bid  ten  cents  ! 

"Do  bid  once  more,  Laura,"  urged  Miss  Percival. 

But  Miss  Sommers  declined  to  do  so.  Then  it  became 
evident  that  old  Vroman  had  won  the  battle,  and  much 
regret  was  manifested  by  the  by-standers. 

"  I  fear  it  might  give  offense,  or  I  would  buy  it  for 
her  I "  said  Mr.  Dobbins  to  Mr.  Eiggs. 

Just  at  that  moment,  and  as  the  hammer  was  descend- 
ing the  last  time  a  voice  in  the  adjoining  room  was  heard 
to  say : 

"  Two  dollars ! " 

The  voice  was  low,  but  the  auctioneer  from  his  elevated 
position  saw  and  knew  the  bidder,  and  in  a  few  moments 
his  hammer  went  down : 

"  Going  at  two  dollars  a  yard — and  sold — to  a  gentle- 
man ! " 

"  Good  I "  exclaimed  a  half  dozen  voices,  when  they 
saw  that  old  Vroman  at  last  had  lost  the  battle. 


3rs. 

rhe  l)y- 
nd  Miss 
ir  atten- 
.d  make 


,nted  old 

ved  that 

to  strike 

mtsl 

val. 

it  became 

md  mucli 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


237 


At  tlie  sound  of  the  voice  in  tlie  adjoining  room  Laura 
Sommers  was  startled ;  she  thought  it  so  mueh  like  that 
of  Benjamin  Bailey ! 

The  velvet  trimmings  were  then  put  up  and  were 
struck  off  with  only  one  bid,  to  Miss  Sommers.  It  was 
noticed  that  the  one  who  had  bidden  oft'  the  dress  did 
not  bid  against  her  I  When  the  auction  sales  were  closed 
and  Laura  walked  away,  she  said  to  more  than  one  of 
her  friends,  that  she  wondered  if  anybody  knew  who  it 
was  that  got  her  dress  away  from  that  John  Vroman. 
But  no  one  knew.  Days  and  weeks  passed  and  she  often 
wondered  if  it  was  a  freak  of  her  imagination,  or  some 
strange  coincidence  of  voice,  that  had  made  her  think  of 
Benjamin  Bailey.  *■ 


^s 


m 


i 


>uy  It  lor 

descend- 
ms  heard 


IS  elevated 
moments 

a  gentle- 

Ihen  they 


M 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

Oar  Detective  crosses  Niagara  River  with  SmiigKlfrs  at  midnight— Pistols— Ofllcers— 
Stories  among  the  Smugglers— A  Trick  of  old  Clicwhrick— Figsley  hints  about  one 
Jared  Bailey— Benjamin's  presence  of  niind—Leuruing  something  of  Interest  to 
himself. 

In  Chapter  XX.,  we  left  Benjamin  endeavoring  to 
make  the  acquaintance  of  smugglers.  Omitting  some  of 
liis  successes  and  some  of  his  failures,  we  now  notice  him 
agam  in  connection  with  Figsl(5y  and  Figsley's  associates 
at  Chippewa. 

There  was  an  old,  dilapidated  dwelling,  at  this  time, 
standing  on  the  Canada  side  of  the  Niagara  Eiver,  near 
the  shore,  and  a  short  distance  above  the  falls  and  rapids. 
This  building  belonged  to  Figsley,  a  part  of  which  he 
always  rented  to  some  fellow  smuggler.  One  of  the 
rooms,  on  the  ground  floor,  he  occupied  liimself,  cooking 
his  own  meals.  For  Figsley  had  one  virtue,  (it  might 
have  been  one  of  necessity,)  he  had  never  married  to 
degrade  a  wife  and  innocent  children  by  his  own  life. 

By  various  strategems  Benjamin  had  at  last  won  the 
entire  confidence  of  Figsley,  so  far  as  concerned  smug- 
gling. He  had  bought  a  row-boat  of  him,  and  hired  him 
to  assist  in  smuggling  several  articles  across  the  river, 
and  to  pilot  him  to  the  different  landing  points.  And 
finding  that  he  and  one  Bergman,  who  lived  in  a  louo 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


239 


siifmty  a  half  mile  distant  from  Fi<isloy's,  were  in  tlio 
conlidcnce  of  a  new  party  of  wliisky  smugglers,  Benja- 
min laid  a  plan  to  win  their  conndcnee  more  positively, 
bi'lbrc  asking  them  too  many  questions  about  themselves 
or  others. 

Ik'dan,  with  two  other  ofliccrs,  was  to  be  on  the  wateh. 
Bailey  was  to  bo  with  the  two  smugglers,  and  when  ho 
ibund  what  landing  they  desired  to  make  he  was  to  advise 
them  to  make  a  dilVerent  landing,  but  finally  to  yield  to 
their  choice.  Then,  while  on  the  river,  Benjamin  was  to 
indicate  to  Bcdan,  cautiously,  by  signals  with  his  dark 
lantern,  at  which  of  the  landings  the  smugglers  might  be 
met  For  it  had  been  arranged  that  Bedan's  party  were 
to  make  a  mock  attempt  to  arrest  Bailey  with  the  smug- 
glers. And  Bailey  was  to  keep  the  olTicers  back  by 
iiring  blank  charges  at  them  from  his  pistol. 

All  this  had  been  planned  to  induce  the  smugglers  to 
put  implicit  confidence  in  their  new  comrade,  Bailey,  and 
thus  be  led  to  confide  their  secrets  to  him.  It  was  also 
to  insure  Bailey's  safety  among  them  by  preventing  any 
suspicions  that  he  might  be  a  secret  detective. 

The  plan  was  most  gallantly  carried  out.  Benjamin 
was  the  last  one  to  get  into  the  smuggler's  boat  on  their 
retreat  from  the  landing  where  Bedan  and  his  party  had 
made  a  pretense  of  attempting  to  take  them — and  of 
course  had  been  most  ingloriously  defeated  1 

Figsley  had  arranged  to  have  a  team  in  waiting  at  a 
distance  from  their  intended  landing,  but  their  plans 
being  frustrated,  tliey  now  took  young  Bailey's  advice 
and  made  their  way  to  Navy  Island  on  the  Canada  side 


i 


I.  a 


mm 


240 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


of  the  river,  where  they  secreted  their  cargo  of  whisky 
to  await  a  more  favorable  opportunity.  Tlic  party  then 
repaired  to  Figsley's  room,  where  the  two  smugglers 
unanimously  gave  Bailey  the  credit  of  being  the  hero  of 
the  night ;  believing  that  they  had  been  saved  from  arrest, 
and  their  whisky  from  seizure,  by  his  bravery  and  "2:)rcs- 
ence  of  mind  1 " 

But  their  "hero"  insisted  with  a  modest  smile,  that  he 
"  did  not  deserve  so  much  credit  after  all.  For,"  said  he, 
"  the  officers  appeared  to  be  scared  to  death  at  the  very 
first  discharge  of  my  revolver!  when  the  truth  is,  Idid'nt 
expect  to  hit  the  scamps,  for  I'm  not  a  very  good  marksman 
even  in  the  daytime ! " 

"  Say,"  said  Figsley  to  Bailey,  "  did  I  ever  tell  you 
now  old  Chewbrick  got  the  officers  out  of  the  way  one 
night,  so  that  he  engineered  a  little  boat  load  of  liquor 
across  the  river  at  Youngstown  ?  " 

"No,  Figsley;  and  you  know  I'm  always  fond  of  lis- 
tening to  a  good  trick  against  these  impudent  officers!" 
said  Bailey. 

Figsley  moved  his  chair  and  was  about  to  begin. 

"  Here !  this  v/ill  never  do,"  said  Bergman. 

"  What's  the  trouble,  now  ?  "  asked  Figsley. 

"Trouble!  Isn't  whisky  the  first  thing?  And  then, 
do  you  expect  me  to  listen  to  a  yarn  till  you  lend  nie 
your  old  meerschaum?" 

"Very  true!  and  a  very  great  oversight!"  rejoined 
Figsley. 

After  whisky,  Figsley  proceeded : 

"  Well,  it  was  down  near  the  old  fort  wivcrc  the  Niagara 


FTB 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


241 


goes  into  Lake  Ontario  at  a  very  moderate  pace ;  for  the 
river  gives  up  its  ravin'  jumps  and  its  exasperated  jigs  a 
half  a  dozen  miles,  you  know,  before  it  gets  to  the  fort, 
and  down  there  behaves  itself  splendid !  Of  course, 
Bailey,  you  don't  understand  that  locality  as  well  as 
Bergman  and  I  do. 

"  Well,  Chcwbrick  and  his  son  had  agreed  to  get  ten 
kegs  of  whisky  across  there  from  Canada,  and  land  it  at 
a  short  ravine  just  above  the  fort  for  a  man  by  name  of 
llobertson,  who  was  to  be  there  with  his  team ;  or  within 
reasonable  notice,  from  eleven  till  one  o'clock  on  a  cer- 
tain dark  night 

"  But,  Bailey,  you  ought  to  hear  Chcwbrick  tell  that 
story  himself,  at  some  of  our  club  meetings !  And  the 
beauty  of  it  is,  it's  a  true  yam,  all  but  the  coloring,  which 
Chcwbrick  always  tells  a  shade  difierent 

"  Well,  'Blowhard'  was  on  hand,  (or  Robertson,  which 
is  the  same  thing,)  wagon  and  team,  and  oil-cloth  coat, 
for  it  was  a  rainy  night  I  tell  you  they  are  the  nights 
to  pick  out  for  our  businc8.s,  after  all.  Do  you  suppose 
any  of  them  corrupt,  black  republican  officials,  are  going 
to  be  on  watch  quite  so  closely  such  nights  ?  " 

"  I  should  be  afraid  they  would,"  said  Bailey,  "  for  you 
know  they  get  a  quarter  of  what  is  seized ! " 

"  Yes,  but  there  is  an  offset  to  that     They  stand  just 

as  good  a  chance  of  getting  a  dev'lish  good  thrashing 

from  us;    or,"  said  Figsley,  turning  towards  Bergman, 

with  an  exulting  laugh,  and  extending  a  complimentary 

allusion  to  Bailey's  late  firing  at  tiie  officers,  "they  might 

chance  to  get  one  of  Bailey's  bullets ! " 
11 


1!  ■! 


242 


A   STORY    OF   NIAGARA. 


"But  let  me  see,  where  did  I  drop  Cliewbrick?  0, 
yes!  Chewbrick,"  Figsley  resumed,  "had  sent  his  son 
and  a  hired  man  over  to  a  point  on  the  Canada  side  where 
the  whisky  was  to  be  loaded  into  the  boat.  And  Chew- 
brick  himself  was  to  stay  on  the  American  side  and 
watch,  to  know  if  the  officer  on  watch  left  his  duty  before 
midnight,  the  time  for  another  officer  to  take  the  patrol. 
As  soon  as  old  Chewbrick  found  the  coast  clear,  he  was 
to  raise  and  lower  the  light  of  his  lantern,  so  that  hib  son 
would  know  when  to  start  with  the  whisky.  When  they 
saw  this  signal  his  son  w^as  to  show  a  light  moving  uj) 
and  down  a  few  moments,  to  notify  Eobertson,  who  was 
then  to  get  his  team  in  readiness  as  soon  as  possible. 
You  see  in  case  the  custom-house  officer  did  not  leave, 
then,  old  Chewbrick  was  to  get  him  out  of  the  way — out 
of  the  way  (I  mean)  of  Ecbertson  and  the  boys. 

"  Well,  about  eleven  o'clock  old  '  Brick '  saw  Mr. 
Officer  go  home — followed  him,  and  saw  him  enter  the 
house.  You  see  it  was  a  leetle  too  rainy  for  Mr.  Officer ! 
But  Chewbrick  was  an  old  fox.  How  could  he  tell  cer- 
tain whether  the  officer  would  stay  in  the  house,  or  whether 
the  other  officer  was  not  to  come  on  duty  at  that  hour  for 
that  night.  So  old  '  Brick '  waited  awhile,  thinking  which 
of  a  half  dozen  plans  he  would  adopt.  But  all  the  while 
he  kept  near  enough  to  the  officer's  house  to  know  if  he 
came  out.  In  this  way,  however,  old  Chew,  soon  saw  he 
was  going  to  lose  an  indefinite  amount  of  time.  So  he 
changed  tactics ;  he  went  to  the  officer's  door  and  rapped. 

"'Good  evening,  Mr.  McQuade,'  said  old  'Brick,'  put- 
ting on  a  patriotic  face  to  the  officer,  who  opened  the 


A    STORY    OP   NIAGARA. 


243 


c?     0, 

lis  son 
I  where 
.  Cliew- 
de  and 
y  before 
J  patrol. 
,  he  was 
)  hifc.  son 
len  they 
•ving  np 
who  was 


ot  leave, 
)vay — out 

saw   Mr. 
enter  the 

Officer! 
|e  tell  cer- 
|r  whether 

hour  for 
kng  which 

the  -while 
|now  if  he 

in  saw  he 

e.     So  he 

rapped. 
Irick,'  put- 

,cned  the 


door,  but  had  hardly  time  to  reply  before  old  Chewbrick, 
says  he : 

"  '  Say !  McQuade,  there  is  one  of  the  darndest,  meanest 
*  rebel  sympathizers '  in  the  whole  North,  going  to  smug- 
gle over  ten  kegs  of  whisky  to-night !  I  just  heard  of  it 
in  the  bar-room  at  Schneiderberger's.' 

'"Are  you  sure  of  it?'  asked  McQuade,  'and  who 
told  you  ? '  says  he. 

'"Well,  that's  my  business,'  said  old  Chew.,  'but  if 
you  want  to  catch  the  meanest  man  you  ever  saw,  and 
will  give  me  five  dollars  in  case  your  part  of  the  seizure 
comes  to  twenty-five  dollars,  I'll  show  the  very  spot 
where  the  boat  will  laud ! ' 

"  The  officer,  of  course,  accepted  the  proposition  at 
once.  So  McQuade  and  the  old  smuggler  (or  free  traders 
as  we  call  ourselves  politically)  went  down  the  river  bank 
to  the  very  spot  where  nobody  was  to  land ;  and  just 
where  old  'Chew'  wanted  to  show  his  son  the  signal- 
light;  and  about  a  half  mile  from  where  the  whisky  was 
to  be  landed  for  Eobertson ! 

"  But  stop,"  said  Figsley,  "  I'm  a  little  ahead  of  my 
story.  The  officer  had  a  dark  lantern  with  him  which  he 
was  inclined  to  keep  open  too  much  to  suit  old  '  Brick,' 
for  it  might  have  confused  things,  you  see,  if  his  son  had 
seen  the  movement  of  that  extra  light  Then  to  put  a 
climax  on  top  of  that,  Chewbrick  says  that  McQuade 
made  some  awful  suspicious  inquiries — wanted  to  know 
what  Chewbrick  needed  a  dark  lantern  for — how  long  he 
had  had  it,  etc.  But  'Chew'  told  him  it  was  one  he  had 
liad  ever  since  Pierce  was  President ;  that  he  used  to  be 


I-I Itlllli-IIIMIIIIi^ 


244 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


I 


emplojed  nights  to  help  one  of  the  secret  detectives  on 
the  same  business  he  was  on  that  night ! " 

"  Same  business  f  0, 1  see !  of  course  'twas,"  said  Berg- 
man. 

And  here  they  all  gave  a  hearty  laugh ;  and  Figsley 
improved  the  opportunity  to  take  an  old  tobacco-box 
from  his  pocket  and  supply  his  mouth  with  a  little  "  fine 
cut." 

"  Now  the  first  thing  was,"  said  he,  resuming  the  story, 
"  to  get  rid  of  McQuade's  light.  So  Mr.  Chewbrick  con- 
cluded to  have  his  own  light  go  out  by  accident;  so  he 
opened  his  lantern,  wondering  what  ailed  his  light/  and 
somehow,  says  'Chew,'  the  light  went  out!  Then  says 
he  to  the  ofl&cer,  '  McQuade  let  me  take  your  light  so  I 
can  lead  the  way  ! '  Of  course  the  officer  was  willing  to 
do  anything  to  help  matters  along,  and  so  he  handed  over 
his  lantern. 

"  Now  Chewbrick  began  to  fear  another  difficulty. 
What  if  the  other  officer  should  come  on  duty  and  go 
down  to  the  landing  where  Robertson  himself  was  ex- 
pected to  go,  on  seeing  the  signal  from  the  boat  So 
Chewbrick  stopped  suddenly,  and  says  he,  '  I  wonder  if 
we  better  not  go  and  wake  up  the  other  officer  to  come 
with  us  ? ' 

"'No,'  said  McQuade,  'he  was  out  all  last  night 
and  he  wouldn't  come ;  for  he  is  half  sick,  besides  1 ' 

"  'All  right,'  said  Chewbrick,  pleased  with  the  infor- 
mation; 'they  are  only  a  man  and  a  boy  anyhow,  and 
you've  got  your  revolver,  haven't  you  ? ' 

"  'Yes ;  but  let  the  scamps  get  away  with  their  bodies,' 


A   STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


245 


ivcs  on 

d  Berg- 

Figslcy 
icco-box 
le  "fine 

he  story, 
rick  con- 
nt;  so  be 
Ight!  and 
nien  says 
Light  so  I 
willing  to 
nded  over 

difficulty, 
ity  and  go 
was  ex- 
boat  So 
wonder  if 
er  to  come 

last   niglit 
ides  I ' 
the  infor- 
lyhow,  and 

veir  bodies,' 


said  the  officer.  '  If  we  get  the  boat  and  the  wliisky,  it 
will  be  all  1  care  to  bother  with  this  dark,  rainy  night!" 

"  Finally  they  reached  the  spot  where  Chewbrick  was 
to  give  the  signal  to  his  son  to  bring  over  the  whisky. 
Now  you  see  it  would  not  answer  to  have  officer  McQuade 
see  him  do  that  little  exploit  So  old  '  Chew '  pointed  up 
stream  with  his  hand  close  before  McQuade's  eyes,  and 
wondered  if  that  wasn't  a  light  away  off  there ! 

"But  after  looking  and  watching  a  few  minutes  in 
every  direction  up  stream,  McQuade  declared  that  he 
'  couldn't  see  it ! ' 

"  Of  course  while  old  Chewbrick  Y>ras  pointing  up  stream 
with  his  left  hand,  he  was,  with  the  other  cautiously 
moving  the  officer's  lantern  up  and  down  for  a  signal  to 
his  son  down  stream  !  And  this  he  did  till  he  saw  the 
signal  light  in  the  boat  answering  him. 

"And  the  same  signal  in  the  boat  for  himself,  you  see, 
Bailey,  also  notified  Eobertson  to  be  ready  with  his  team 
at  the  landing  below. 

"  The  next  thing  was  to  take  up  the  officer's  time,  which 
old  '  Chew '  did  by  finding  themselves  a  place  of  conceal- 
ment, and  occasionally  swearing,  that  it  was  strange  that 
the  smugglers  hadn't  come  across,  and  that  he  knew  the 
scamps  intended  to  smuggle  across  ten  kegs  of  whisky 
before  one  o'clock  that  very  night  And  he  knew  that 
they  intended  to  land  it  at  that  very  landing. 

"At  last  Eobertson  had  got  his  load  of  whisky  a  good 
1  "  away  from  the  lower  landing,  and  on  the  way  to  a 
p  e  where  it  was  to  be  secreted.  And  Chewbrick  and 
the  officer  went  home,  old  'Chew'  pretending  to  be  swcar- 


I , 


246 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


ing  mad  at  liis  disappointment,  while  the  ofRcer  endeav- 
ored to  console  him,  presuming  the  storm  had  made  them 
give  up  crossing  that  night  I 

"Pretty  well  done,"  said  Bergman,  "but  before  I  had 
the  misfortune  to  lose  my  character  I  did  some  shrewd 
tricks  myself,  watching  and  misleading  customs  officeis. 
Why,  at  one  time  I  was  paid  by  the  custom  house  for 
detecting  smugglers,  when,  in  fact,  I  was  giving  informa- 
tion the  other  way !  But,  like  every  other  kind  of  dev- 
iltry, it  didn't  last  long  before  something  turned  up,  and 
I  got  suspected ;  and  here  I  am  now,  all  the  worse  for 
what  little  success  I  ever  had  in  that  line. 

"  The  fact  is,  there  is  too  little  honor  with  most  devils 
among  themselves !  Why,  Figsley,  ycu  know  I  got  up  that 
hose  and  pipe  plan  by  which  more  than  twenty  thousand 
dollars  worth  of  whisky  has  been  smuggled  into  Buffalo 
and  Tonawanda ;  and  all  I  got  was  fifty  dollars  for  the 
secret;  except  the  positive  assurance  that  if  ever  I  re- 
vealed anything  about  it  except  in  the  regular  way,  to 
the  members  of  tlie  regular  club,  by  their  regular  sanc- 
tion, at  their  regular  meetings,  and  all  such  dev'lish  con- 
ditions, why,  then  I  was  to  be  waylaid  by  a  blow  upon 
my  head  with  a  professional  sand-bag,  or  gagged  and 
taken  to  the  rapids,  and  there  thoroughly  drowned,  after 
first  having  my  skull  broken  in  by  a  bludgeon ! " 

And  here  Bergman  went  off  into  terrible  oaths,  calling 
everybody  dishonest,  and  declaring  that  the  unequal 
division  of  property  in  this  world,  made  it  right  to  de- 
mand and  enforce  a  better  distribution  of  it,  in  any  way 
it  could  be  done  safely,  whether  it  was  called  highway 


il 


A   STORY   OF   NIAGARA. 


247 


robbery,  Wall  street  robbery,  or  contract  swindling,  or 
any  other  business,  for  each  man  to  get  his  share  I 

"  Say,  brother  Bergman,"  spoke  Figsley,  in  a  low  tone, 
"  your  confounded  talk  reminds  me  of  a  brother  villain  1 
knew  more  than  twenty  years  ago,  whose  financial  mean- 
ness I  could  always  excuse  easier  than  the  selfish  advan- 
tage and  heartless  meanness  with  which  he  treated  his  female 
victims.  He  had  a  habit  of  swindling  them  into  friend- 
ship, abusing  their  confidence,  and  then  cheating  them 
out  of  his  promises ;  because,  at  last  he  would  exact 
more  than  even  human  weakness  could  consent  to. 
But  what  you  particularly  reminded  me  of  w^as  a  sharp 
trick  of  his  rascality  to  produce  a  very  unequal  division 
of  property;  which,  though  the  trick  pays  me  w^ell 
enough,  I  always  despised  him  for  getting  two  girls  into 
trouble  about  it — which  I  aftei'wards  found  he  did,  the 
unmanly  devil — partly  to  punish  them  for  their  virtue, 
and  partly  to  frighten  them  into  concealing  what  they  knew 
against  him  !  Poor  Eleanor  I  she  left  his  house  though, 
and  Adeline,  too,  soon  after. 

"Adeline  was  always  in  fear  of  his  malicious  slanders, 
as  well  as  losing  a  portion  of  the  property,  wdiich  old 
Mr.  Mortimer  Bailey  had  intended  for  her ;  but  which 
this  Jared  (blast  the  illegitimate  bastard)  promised  to 
restore  a  part  of  to  Adeline  in  case  she  kept  still ! 

"But  this  is  more  than  I  ever  told  before.  This  is 
bad  whisky,  Bergman.  And,  see  here  !  how  do  I  know 
but  this  young  dare-devil  is  a  son  of  his  ?  it's  the  same 
name !  What  is  your  first  name,  Mr.  Bailey,  and  where 
are  your  relatives  ?  But,  really,  you  don't  resemble  the 
man  I  spoke  of!" 


? 


248 


A   STORY    OF   NIAGARA. 


For  an  instant  a  chill  went  over  Benjamin  Bailey,  and 
he  was  at  a  loss  how  to  answer.  The  next  moment  he 
decided  it  would  not  do  for  him  to  be  discovered  as  a 
relative,  nor  even  as  an  acquaintance  of  Judge  Bailey ; 
and  much  less  as  one  of  the  heirs  referred  to.  He  also 
feared  the  possibility  that  Judge  Bailey  might  learn  his 
whereabouts,  and  write  exposing  him,  as  a  detective,  to 
Figsley ;  an  idea  of  itself  which  produced  no  comfortable 
sensations.  So  he  answered  that  men  in  their  business 
were  not  fools  enough  generally  to  be  known  hg  their  real 
names,  when  it  could  he  avoided. 

"Bravo!"  said  Bergman.  "A  man  after  my  own 
heart !  Let  us  drink  to  the  health  of  our  hero  of  the 
night !    *  Brave  as  a  lion — cunning  as  a  fox  I '" 

The  dodge  was  effectual :  and  Benjamin  felt  a  sense  of 
relief.  And  when  that  night  he  left  Figsley' s  house,  for 
his  lodgings,  he  felt  that  the  suspicions  about  the  will, 
years  before,  had  been  well-founded,  and  he  had  now 
double  reasons  for  frequent  visits  to  Figsley's  1 


CHAPTEE  XXIV. 


Our  Detective'  a  Letter— Smugglers  Planning  a  Robbery— A  Villiiin's  Reflections — 
Old  Crimes  reaching  Into  the  Present— Figsley—Vroman—Jared  Bailey— Revela- 
tions of  a  lost  Letter  —  A  Chain  of  Circumstances  —  Deacon  Sommcrs  hears  of 
Benjamin  Bailey— Unsuspected  Danger. 

We  now  pass  over  a  short  time,  to  a  day  on  which 
circumstances  occurred  destined  to  close  Benjamin  Bailey's 
brief  career  as  a  detective.  On  that  day  he  sent  the  fol- 
lowing letter  to  the  collector,  in  secret  cypher.  This 
letter  shows  that  he  had  not  been  idle  among  the  smug- 
glers : 

"  Chippewa, ,  1864. 

«'  To ,  Collector,  etc. : 

'•'^Dear  Sir — I  crossed  the  river  last  night  with  the  same 
two  men  who  thought  I  saved  them  from  being  arrested 
by  Bedan's  party  a  few  nights  ago.  I  am,  however, 
detecting  something  in  these  men  worse  than  mere  smug- 
gling. They  are  none  too  good  for  highway  robbers  I  I 
admit  I  do  not  fancy  crossing  Niagara  Eiver  wi  ■  >  them. 
To  be  in  danger  of  accident  so  near  the  rapias,  from 
whence  no  human  power  could  save  one,  is  bad  enough 
in  good  company ;  but  it  is  a  little  worse  when  added  to 
this  danger  I  find  myself  crossing  at  night,  alone  with 
men  I  believe  fit  for  murderers  I 

"  I  have  just  learned  of  a  new  plan  in  operation  for 

smuggling  whisky.     It  is  a  sub-marine  fixture,  carried 
11* 


250 


A    STORY    OF    NlAGAllA. 


-large  or  small  boats — and  can 


1)C 


!     i: 


I  (■  - 


sunk  at  a  moment's  warning  to  avoid 


sccrctl ; 
de- 


ll ndcr  boats- 
detached  and 
tection. 

"  This  whisky  is  conveyed  into  this  sub-fixture  on  the 
Canada  side,  and  taken  out  and  carried  away  on  the 
American  side  in  a  manner  so  ingenious  that  officers  have 
closely  inspected  everything  seen  to  be  moved  from  the 
boat,  without  the  slightest  suspicion.  And  yet  an  enor- 
mous quantity  of  liquor  has  been  smuggled  in  that  way 
in  open  day,  with  officers  standing  by  the  boat,  and  even 
taking  passage  in  it ! 

''The  sub-fixture  has  a  short  piece  of  strong,  stiff, 
ribbed  hose  attached  to  it,  and  on  the  shore  there  is  from 
two  to  six  rods  of  pipe  or  tubing  concealed  under  the 
ground,  or  under  lumber,  or  whatever  may  be  most  con- 
venient reaching  from  the  boat  landing  to  the  cellar  of 
some  building,  from  which  loads  of  anything  are  taken  in 
wagons.  This  building  having  no  apparent  connection 
with  the  boat  is  not  suspected.  The  short  hose  is  adroitly 
attached  to  the  pipe  while  the  boat  is  waiting  for  passen- 
gers or  loading;  and  thus  a  connection  of  tubing  is 
formed  from  the  boat  to  the  building,  and  the  sub-fixture 
is  filled  or  emptied.  I  will  explain  other  particulars 
when  I  see  you. 

"  In  the  mean  time  would  it  not  be  well  to  have  the 
underside  of  boats  looked  after  ?  also  buildings  or  docks 
where  such  a  thing  can  be  practiced  ? 

"  I  have  the  honor  to  be,  sir, 
"  Very  respectfully, 

"  Your  obedient  servant, 

"Benjamin  Bailey." 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


251 


"P.  S.  I  go  to  St.  Catharines  to-day,  and  if  I  «^'ot 
back  in  time  shall  make  another  visit  to  that  Figsley  this 
evening.  B.  B." 

Early  in  the  morning  of  the  same  day  on  which  the 
above  letter  was  written,  Figsley  crossed  the  ferry  to  see 
Vroman. 

"  Meet  me  at  Bergman's  shanty  to-night,  at  dusk,"  said 
Figsley  to  Vroman.  "  Bergman  and  I  lost  our  bottom 
dollar  at  the  St.  Catharines  races  yesterday ;  and,  you 
say  you  lost  all  you  can  spare ;  very  well,  it  is  coming 
on  winter,  and  a  man  must  have  money.  I  say,  Vroman, 
a  man  must  have  money ;  at  any  rate,  Vroman,  I  must 
have  money,  because  I  must  have  food,  drink  and  rai- 
ment— especially  drink ! " 

"  Mr.  Figsley,  any  man  is  a  fool  that  drinks  or  gambles 
enough  to  distress  himself  1  But  you  are  a  strange  talker, 
Mr.  Figsley.  Sometimes  you  say  you've  got  gold  in  a 
secret  place,  or  papers  that  will  scare  gold,  all  you  need, 
out  of  Jared  Bailey ! " 

"  No  matter,  Vroman,  you  know  what  is  up !  No  cow- 
ardice ;  you  want  more  money,  and  so  do  I.  Now  will 
you  be  on  hand,  I  say  ?  It  wants  nerve,  but  we  are  bad 
enough  to  be  bold." 

"But  Figsley,  what  can  Bergman  do  to-night ?  You 
say  his  house-keeper  died  of  consumption  an  hour  ago, 
and  will  not  be  buried  till  to-morrow." 

"  Well,  that  is  Bergman's  business,  not  ours.  He  says 
come,  he  may  as  well  be  out  an  hour  or  two  to-night  as 
to  stay  home  and  get  drunk !     He  says  Hardstriker  is 


i,    I' 


■•■V  , 

'i 


252 


A   STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


bound  to  have  us  help  take  a  little  of  the  root  of  all 
evil  from  a  rich  old  cattle  dealer  expected  to  pass  Berg- 
man's this  evening.  lie  wants  you  and  Dick  Slyboy  to 
be  at  his  house  so  that  you  and  he  could  swear  him 
clear — prove  an  alibi  you  know — in  case  of  necessity. 
You  see,  don't  you  ?  As  to  Bergman,  swear  he  was  with 
us  all  the  evening,  in  his  own  house.  The  plan  is  well 
laid,  Vroman,  well  laid ! " 

"  Mr.  Figsley,  you  and  Mr.  Bergman  both  are  getting 
too  bold ;  but  I'll  think  of  it.  If  I  conclude  it  is  not 
too  risky,  I'll  be  there." 

The  plan  was  further  discussed,  but  John  Vroman  gave 
no  decided  answer,  and  James  Figsley  returned,  mutter- 
ing to  himself  as  he  started,  that  he  knew  Vroman  hadn't 
heart  enough,  to  hinder  him  from  little  acts  of  this  kind, 
and  the  only  conscience  he  had,  was  his  fear  of  detection ! 
"  Plague  take  the  scoundrel,"  spoke  Figsley,  to  himself, 
"if  I'd  never  seen  him,  nor  Jared  Bailey,  either,  I'd 
have  been  a  better  man,  and  I  presume  that  would  have 
been  better  for  me.  And  yet  they  seem  to  have  succeeded 
with  even  less  of  heart  or  soul  than  I  have,  which,  I 
vow,  is  no  boasting  for  myself,  for  did  I  not  aid  them  at 
first  to  injure  Eleanor  ?  and  will  I  not  yet  forget  my  own 
oath  to  her,  and  neglect  to  expose  the  evidence  which 
would  avenge  the  wrong  plotted  against  her  innocence  ? 
and  all  this,  when  my  own  room  is  haunted  with  her 
presence ! "  But  we  leave  Figsley  with  his  reflections, 
and  till  we  meet  him  at  Bergman's. 

But  there  was  a  wxb  of  circumstances  which  Provi- 
dence had  begun  for  that  day,  which,  in  spite  of  plans 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


253 


or  caution,  was  now  to  wind  around  tlicsc  guilty  ones 
and  their  earthly  career,  to  bind  them  over  to  that  great 
day,  when  all  must  render  an  account  for  deeds  done 
here  in  the  body. 

Soon  after  James  Figsley  and  John  Vroman  separated, 
the  latter  went  to  the  post-office,  where  he  received  the 
following  letter : 


"  Fallington,  N.  Y., 


1864. 


'■^Dear  John — Yours  is  just  received.  Perhaps  I  ought 
to  go  and  see  you  instead  of  writing,  but,  as  all  my 
letters  have  reached  you  safely,  I  hope  there  is  no  risk. 

"It  is  astonishing  how  Figsley  continues  to  make 
larger  and  larger  demands  on  me.  You  say  he  is  again 
dissatisfied — talks  too  much — threatens  to  tell  the  truth, 
etc.,  etc. — pretends  again  that  he  kept  the  true  will  and 
my  two  letters  about  them  I  Now,  this  is  what  he  talked 
once  before  when  he  threatened  to  show  who  Jared 
Grimbold  was,  and  is,  and  that  if  I  '  lived  long  enough 
vengeance  would  reach  me  from  the  grave  of  Eleanor 
Grace  1 '  Now  this  must  be  stopped  or  there  must  be 
another  mysterious  disappearance ! 

"  You  say  this  year  he  demands  six  hundred  dollars 
instead  of  four  hundred,  and  he  will  not  take  it  in  our 
paper  money.  Why,  in  that  case,  it  would  cost  me  to 
buy  the  gold  thirteen  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  these  war 
times.  Now,  John,  I  am  not  in  favor  of  paying  him 
that  sum,  and  th.us  encouraging  him  to  ask  more.  You 
had  better  have  a  private  talk  with  him  just  as  soon  as 
you  get  this  letter;  and  don't  fail  to  remind  him  tliat 


254 


A   STORY    OF   NIAGARA. 


you  and  Adeline  and  myself  can  be  just  as  desperate 
witnesses  to  get  him  into  trouble  as  he  can  be  against  us." 
"  One  thing  more :  you  and  he  had  better  be  on  your 
guard !  for  one  of  the  heirs,  Benjamin  Bailey,  is  a  United 
States  custom-house  detective  on  the  Niagara  frontier  I  Be- 
sides this,  I  have  special  reasons  not  to  have  him  get  on 
friendly  terms  with  William  Sommers.  If  you  will  pre- 
vent all  intercourse  between  him  and  them,  by  reporting 
that  he  has  hinted  things  against  the  character  of  Miss 
Laura  Sommers,  and  if  you  will  also  get  hold  of  those 
secret  papers  in  possession  of  Figsley  which  I  wrote 
about  in  my  last  letter,  I  will  give  you  a  deed  of  the  fifty 
acres  Western  land  you  wanted ;  and  I  will  alter  my  will 
so  Jerusha  shall  have  double  what  I  first  promised. 

"  Yours,  as  ever, 

"Jared  Bailey." 


The  same  morning  on  which  the  above  letter  was 
received,  black  Jim  stopped  with  his  fish-wagon  in  the 
road  before  Deacon  Sommers'  mansion.  Now  it'happened 
that  John  Vroman  on  his  way  home  from  the  post-office 
just  at  this  moment  came  up,  stopped  his  buggy,  got  out 
and  bought  some  fish ;  and  in  taking  some  papers  from 
his  coat  pocket,  when  he  paid  for  the  fish,  the  letter  from 
Jared  Bailey,  which  he  had  read  and  replaced  in  the 
envelop,  was  accidentally  pulled  out  of  his  pocket  and 
dropped  upon  the  ground,  unobserved.  John  Vroman 
drove  away,  and  the  fish-peddler  tooted  his  horn. 

For  Deacon  Sommers'  family  always  patronized  black 
Jim;   partly   because   he   was   Dinah's  step-father,   and 


A   STOEY    OF    NIAGARA. 


265 


partly  because  he  was  an  honest,  pions,  old  man,  and 
because  the  old  fish-peddlcr  was  no  small  convenience  to 
the  public. 

"  Why  didn't  my  ma  come  wid  ye  ?  "  inquired  Dinah, 
as  she  came  running  toward  the  fish-wagon. 

"  Well,  Dinah,  dat  so ;  she  mout  a  come ;  an'  I  doesn't 
know  why  she  didn't,  'less  'twas  kase  she  didn't  get 
started  I  You  know  dat  berry  often  de  reason,  Dinah, 
wid  folks.'" 

"But  if  dey  haint  got  no  better  reason,  dat's  an  awful 
poor  one,"  said  Dinah. 

"  Ha,  ha !  dat's  so  ;  but  I's  got  some  awful  good  white 
fish  here,  Dinah." 

"  0 !  de  lord  ob  lub !  I's  found  a  letter  here  in  do 
road  !  May  be  it's  from  somebody's  beau  or  suffin,"  said 
Dinah,  as  she  picked  it  up.  Then  removing  the  letter 
from  the  torn  envelop,  her  eye  struck  upon  the  last  para- 
graph, which  she  managed  to  make  out  a  few  words  of, 
and  finally  read  "  Benjamin  Bailey  ! " 

"Delord  of  lub!"  repeated  Dinah;  and  just  at  that 
moment  Deacon  Sommers  with  Laura  in  his  carriage 
drove  out  of  the  yard  towards  them.  "  My  sakes  alive  I " 
said  Dinpb,  running  toward  Laura  and  handing  the  letter 
to  her,  "  here  be  de  berry  spook  ob  dat  letter.  Miss  Laura, 
dat  ye  cried  so  'bout  when  de  dark  closet  wor  ha'nted  I 
Now,  Miss  Laura,  don't  ye  hab  nobody  else  but  Benjamin 
Bailey  1     Dat  what  ye  said,  ye  know ! " 

Laura  took  the  letter,  wondering  what  Dinah  could 
possibly  have  found  in  somelxKly's  lost  letter  to  put  such 
thoug.'^ts  into  her  head. 


M_.ii 


f^i; 


4 


rn 


256 


A  STORY   OF  NIAGARA. 


As  Dinah  went  back  to  the  fish-wagon  she  muttered : 
"Dey  start  off  as  ef  dey  goin'  to  hab  der  beny  necks 
broke ! "  And  then  directing  her  talk  to  the  fish-peddler 
she  said:  "Ye  see  dey  got  to  hurry  or  dey  aren't  goin' 
to  get  back  till  dark.  I  reckon  Massa  Sommers  goin'  to 
get  de  money  for  his  Canada  fiirm." 

Laura,  of  course,  looked  on  the  outside  of  the  envelop 
of  the  lost  letter.  She  saw  it  was  post-marked  Falling- 
ton,  N.  Y.  Curiosity  prompted  her  to  know  the  centents 
of  the  letter ;  and  she  read  it,  and  read  it  to  the  utter 
astonishment  of  Deacon  Sommers  as  well  as  herself! 
Deacon  Sommers  was  convinced  as  well  as  confounded. 
And  Laura  cried  over  the  mistaken  confidence  that  had 
been  placed  in  Jared  Bailey.  She  wanted  to  fly  to  Ben- 
jamin, she  said,  and  beg  his  forgiveness.  "  They  have 
tried,  like  criminals,  to  make  us  believe  falsehoods,  but  I 
love  him,  and  now  I  will  love  him,  and  I  will  tell  him  so !" 

Mr.  Sommers  made  no  reply.  He  was  too  busy  con- 
sulting his  own  thoughts ;  and  Laura  again  ran  her  eyes 
over  the  letter  as  the  tears  ran  down  her  cheeks.  And 
for  the  next  mile's  drive  neither  of  them  spoke — but  they 
thought. 

"There  is  the  collector  of  customs,"  Laura  said  to  her 
father,  in  a  low  tone  of  voice,  as  tliey  approached  the 
street  crossing,  near  the  custom  house.  "  Please  ask  him, 
father,  if  he  knows  a  young  man  by  the  name  of  Benja- 
min Bailey." 

Deacon  Sommers  reined  in  his  horse  and  said : 

"Good  morning,  Mr.  Collector." 

"Good  morning.  Deacon." 


'>"«iF",^PWIJV«P»'M*' 


"WHwnwrywp^ 


A   STORY   OF   NIAGARA. 


257 


Then  the  collector  and  Miss  Sommera  spoke  to  each 
other.     Deacon  Sommers  then  said : 

"  As  you  are  a  man  of  few  words,  Mr.  Collector,  may 
I  ask  you,  here,  if  you  know  a  young  man  by  name  of 
Benjamin  Bailey  from  Fallington  ?  " 

"Ida" 

"  Is  he  a  custom-house  officer? " 

"  He  is  a  young  gentleman  in  whom  I  have  the  utmost 
confidence,  both  from  what  I  know  of  him  myself,  and 
from  what  I  am  told  by  those  who  have  known  him  from 
boyhood,"  said  the  collector,  stretching  out  an  indirect 
reply,  which  gave  Deacon  Sommers  a  hint  that  he  may 
have  been  too  inquisitive  inquiring  about  a  secret  office  1 

"I  beg  pardon,"  said  Deacon  Sommers,  "I  only  de- 
sired to  know  who  he  is ! " 

"  Well,  Deacon,  he  is  the  young  man  you  took  such  a 
liking  to  on  the  cars  this  side  of  Eochester,  at  the  time 
he  gave  up  his  seat  so  politely  to  you  and  me,  as  you 
may  remember  some  months  ago." 

"  You  don't  say  so  ?  "  said  the  Deacon.  "  You  don't 
say  so?" 

Laura  smiled,  but  she  tried  not  to. 

"Also,"  continued  the  collector,  "the  same  young  man 
I  heard  you  extolling  so  highly  for  capturing  the  two 
black-legs  some  weeks  ago ! " 

"  You  don't  say  so  ?  Well,  now,  I  declare !  And  is 
he  a  fellow  of  good  habits  ?  temperate,  and  so  on  ?  " 

"  Temperate  !  he  would  not  drink  even  a  glass  of  wine 
to  please  the  President  of  the  United  States." 

Then  Deacon  Sommers  thanked  the  collector,  bid  him 
good-day,  and  drove  on. 


258 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


Laura  blushed,  looked  pleased,  and  inquired  what  her 
father  thought  now  ? 

And  Deacon  Sommers  not  only  admitted  that  he  was 
satisfied,  but  astonished  beyond  degree. 

An  hour  after  this  time  Vroman  missed  the  lost  letter. 
He  examined  every  pocket,  even  to  his  watch-pocket, 
and  one  coat  he  had  not  worn  nor  seen  since  the  day 
before.  Then  he  shook  out  his  handkerchief;  but  found 
no  letter.  He  retraced  every  step  he  had  taken  since  he 
drove  into  his  yard;  inquired  repeatedly  of  all  in  the 
house,  and  finally  drove  back  over  the  road,  toward  the 
post-office,  to  a  place  where  he  remembered  reading  the 
letter.  On  returning  he  happened  to  meet  the  old  fish- 
peddler,  of  whom  he  inquired  whether  he  or  anybody  he 
knew  of,  had  found  a  letter. 

"  Was  it  a  letter  in  a  yaller  kiver  wid  de  end  broke 
open?"  was  the  colored  man's  inquiring  reply. 

"  Yes ;  have  you  found  it  ?  " 

"  No,  I  hasn't  got  it,  but  I  reckon  may  be  it  be  de  one 
de  girl  picked  up  and  gin  to  Mr.  Sommers  as  he  driv  out 
into  de  road,  'bout  an  hour  ago,  or  so  on." 

"Where  did  he  go?" 

"  Why,  he  driv  off,  somewhere ;  de  girl  said  to  Canada 
to  get  some  money  on  a  farm  dat  he  sole.  I  spect  he  got 
a  heap  o'  land." 

"Then  the  old  villain  took  my  letter  with  him,  eh?" 

"  In  course  I  doesn't  know  whose  letter  it  was.  I  spect 
it  wasn't  much  value;  de  letter  had  been  read;  "  -  ^le 
'velop  was  torn  open,  anyhow;  an'  der  wasn't  no  i.  ney 
in  it     Dinah,  de  girl,  say  it  mout  be  somebody's  beau." 


A    STORY    OF   NIAGARA. 


259 


Bat  while  tlie  old  colored  man  was  delivering  liis  views 
to  excuse  the  matter,  Vroman  was  muttering  to  himself: 

"  The  very  worst  man  in  the  world  to  have  that  letter ! 
and  Jared  was  an  old  fool  to  risk  it !  It  may  send  us  all 
to  the  devil.  I'll  see  Figsley  and  Bergman  now;  the 
money  and  the  letter  both  are  an  object ;  and  secrecy  is 
an  object — to  several  of  us ! "  Then  turning  back  to  the 
village  he  telegraphed  for  Jared  Bailey  "  to  come  by  next 
train ! "  For  he  thought  matters  might  get  beyond  his 
control.  He  then  went  to  see  Figsley  and  Bergman. 
And  his  interview  with  them  resulted  in  a  change  of  the 
programme  for  the  night 

It  was  agreed  to  not  attack  the  drover,  but  to  dress  in 
disguise  and  watch  for  Mr.  Sommers  in  the  mile-woods, 
near  Bergman's  shanty;  and  to  assault  him  under  pre- 
tense of  searching  for  Fenian  papers  against  the  Canadian 
government;  but,  in  reality  to  get  possession  of  the  lost 
letter,  as  well  as  to  rob  him  if  much  money  was  found. 
In  the  latter  case  it  was  their  intention  to  gag  and  bind 
him  till  late  enough  to  send  him  and  horse  and  carriage 
over  the  falls.  "A  mere  accident,  to  which  any  of  us  is 
liable  I "  Bergman  had  said  in  a  wicked  joke.  The  old 
colored  man  had  said  nothing  to  Vroman  indicating 
whether  Deacon  Sommers  was  alone  in  his  carriage ;  and 
Vroman  in  his  worry  about  the  lost  letter,  had  not  even 
thought  to  inquire ;  hence  the  company  of  a  female  in 
the  coming  affair  was  not  down  in  the  programme  I 


i 


>  t 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

The  Mile- Woods— How  Benjamin  liappened  at  the  Robber's  Shanty— Concealment 
in  the  Loft— The  Five  Robbers— Victims  to  be  thrown  over  the  Falls— Benjamin 
resolves  to  die  attempting  their  rescue. 

When  Benjamin  had  returned  from  St.  Catbannes, 
and  had  taken  tea  at  his  hotel,  it  was  dark,  except  the 
little  light  which  the  stars  afforded.  Having  determined, 
however,  to  learn  more  from  Figsley,  to  Figsley's  lone- 
some rooms  he  wended  his  way,  but  only  to  find  that  he 
was  absent.  Presuming  that  he  had  gone  to  Bergman's 
shanty  in  the  mile-woods,  he  then  set  out  for  Bergman's. 
Arriving  at  the  shanty  he  entered  a  kind  of  outside  pas- 
sage or  entry,  and  knocked  on  a  partly-open  inner-door, 
leading  to  the  only  lower  room  of  the  shanty.  After 
waiting  a  short  time,  and  hearing  no  person  within,  ho 
pushed  the  door  a  little  more  open  and  entered  the  room. 

There  was  a  dim  light  from  a  kerosene  lamp  standing 
on  a  table  in  the  room,  but  no  one  was  present.  The 
strong  board  shutters  of  the  windows  appeared  tightly 
closed. 

In  a  room  overhead,  approached  by  a  ladder  through 
a  large  open  place  left  in  the  loose  floor  boards,  there 
was  also  a  dim  light.  In  this  upper  room,  near  the 
o})cning  in  the  floor,  lay  the  corpse  of  the  house-keeper, 
who  had  died  that  morning. 


;  « 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


201 


Benjamin  bad  stood  a  few  moments  waiting  for  some 
one's  appearance ;  when,  suddenly  he  was  startled  by  a 
half-smothered  cry  of  murder,  then  followed  heavy  groans 
and  low  voices,  and  the  sounds  of  approaching  footsteps ; 
all  indicating  a  party  of  several  persons  close  at  hand. 
Tiioughts  quicker  than  can  be  repeated  flashed  througli 
the  mind  of  our  secret  detective.  It  must  be  that  Figsley 
and  Bergman  were  of  the  party ;  and  if  so,  of  course  he 
would  be  safe ;  and  he  seated  himself  upon  a  short  bench 
near  the  foot  of  the  ladder  which  led  to  the  loft,  for 
escape  without  their  observation  he  could  not ;  and  to 
attempt  an  escape  like  a  witness  against  them,  it  seemed 
must  result  in  certain  death.  He  knew  that  Bergman 
and  Figsley  had  confidence  in  him — confidence  that  he 
was  a  desperate  character,  and  willing  to  become — if  he 
was  not  already — as  great  a  villain  as  themselves.  How 
could  they  doubt  it  ?  He  had  told  them  he  came  upon 
the  frontier  to  make  money,  and  that  he  couldn't  afford 
to  be  in  such  dangerous  business  unless  he  could  make 
something  out  of  it.  They  had  seen  him  cautiously  and 
alone  smuggling  whisky  and  leather  and  spices ;  had 
passed  him  on  the  Niagara  Eiver  at  night,  in  the  very 
boat  that  Figsley  had  sold  him  for  that  purpose ;  then 
they  had  afterwards  taken  him  in  as  a  brother  law- 
breaker, and  he  had  saved  them  from  arrest  by  attempt- 
ing to  shoot  the  officers — with  those  blank  cartridges  / 

As  our  detective  took  his  seat  the  approaching  party 
seemed  to  pause  a  moment  ii  a  dispute  among  themselves 
at  the  outer  entrance  to  the  shanty,  and  Bailej''  soon  had 
occasion  to  realize  that  he  was  in  danger. 


i*tT":8!t' 


mm 


262 


A    STORY    OF   NIAGARA. 


"  I  tell  you  this  whole  aifair  must  and  shall  go  over 
the  falls — girl  and  all ! "  said  one  of  the  party  outside,  in 
a  firm  undertone,  "the  rest  of  you  can  have  the  money, 
but  that  letter  of  old  Bailey's — the  old  fool — must  never 
be  heard  of!" 

"  But  if  we  get  the  letter  that's  enough  1 "  replied  a 
voice  which  Benjamin  knew  was  Figsley's. 

"But  I  tell  you,"  said  the  first  voice,  "that  this  old 
deacon  devil  here  and  that  young  Bailey,  are  on  the  track 
of  us  all!" 

There  was  no  time  to  '  .^te  by  listening;  his  real  char- 
acter was  no  doubt  discovered ;  he  could  no  longer 
expect  the  kind  regards  of  either  Figsley  or  Bergman. 
He  could  not  even  expect  that  they  would  now  return 
the  kindness  that  he  had  done  them  by  shooting  at  cus- 
tom-house officers !  In  an  instant  he  now  ascended  the 
ladder,  hoping  to  secrete  himself  till  an  opportunity  pre- 
sented for  leaving  the  shanty.  As  he  stepped  from  the 
top  of  the  ladder  he  saw  by  the  dim  light  that  he  stood 
by  the  side  of  a  corpse.  Not  having  heard  of  the  death 
of  Bergman's  house-keeper,  this  discovery  produced 
strange  feelings  of  horror  and  suspicion ;  and  added  to 
what  was  already  a  sufficient  cause  of  alarm. 

The  better  to  secrete  himself  he  immediately  extin- 
guished the  light  in  the  loft.  He  then  placed  himself  in 
a  position  to  see,  through  an  aperture  between  the  floor 
boards,  anything  that  might  take  place  in  the  room  below. 
Almost  immediately  four  men  dressed  in  disguise  entered 
the  house ;  the  two  foremost  dragging  an  old  man  to  a 
corner  of  the  room,  whose  bare  head  revealed  wounds  by 


>vr 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGAUA. 


263 


wliicli  he  hud  been  overcome.  Two  otliers  soon  uftcr- 
wards  followed,  carrying  a  young  lady  to  an  opposite 
corner  of  the  room.  Both  victims  were  bound  with  cords 
and  were  gagged  to  prevent  any  outcry. 

Among  the  first  who  entered  the  room  Benjamin  recog- 
nized Figsley's  voice,  saying  in  a  determined  tone: 

"  No,  Vroman !  I'll  see  us  both  hanged  first.  You 
may  send  the  man  over  the  falls,  but  not  the  girl ! 
That's  not  my  way  of  making  war — not  my  kind  of 
chivalry.  I'd  sooner  shoot  the  man  who  would  abuse  a 
weak  and  defenseless  girl ! " 

"  O,  you  would,  eh?  Then  you've  grown  better  since 
we  all  lied  against  Eleanor  Grace  for  telling  the  truth 
against  us!"  said  a  voice  in  reply  with  an  insinuating 
tone,  and  closing  his  remark  with  terrible  curses  over  the 
idea  of  Figsley  having  any  virtues  to  boa^t  of  over  the 
rest  of  them. 

"  Well,  Yroman,"  retorted  Figsley,  "I  give  you  my 
word  for  it — and  my  honor — as  one  villain  to  another, 
that  (Ids  girl  shall  not  be  harmed  ! " 

"And  I  say  she  shall  never  live  to  tell  what  this  night 
knows  of,  nor  what's  in  Jared  Bailey's  letter ! " 

"  She  lives,  if  I  do ! "  said  Figsley. 

"Then  none  of  us  would  be  safe,"  said  Vroman,  "and 
getting  rid  of  her  is  a  necessity  we  are  not  to  blame  for. 
None  of  us  knew  the  girl  was  in  the  carriage ;  and  she 
may  from  the  very  first  have  identified  some  of  us  by 
our  voices." 

"Vices?  ha!  ha!  Did  you  say  vices?  What  vices 
liave  ?fe.^"  chuckled  Ilardstriker,  making  a  peculiar 
sliruii  with  his  shouklers. 


li 


264 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


"  Stop  your  quarrel,"  interrupted  Bergman,  witli  un 
oath,  "till  YOU  have  time  to  come  to  a  sensible  conclu- 
sion ! "  and  saying  tliis  he  unrolled  a  pocket-book  wliicli 
ho  had  extracted  from  Deacon  Sommer's  side  pocket. 

"  Thank  the  dcYil,  here  is  a  little  matter  I  will  take 
charge  of,"  said  Vroman,  producing  the  lost  letter  from 
Deacon  Sommcrs'  pocket,  "  and  now  the  only  way  to  keep 
its  contents  from  sending  two  or  three  of  us  to  the 
bottomless  pit,  is  to  send  old  Sommcrs  and  his  daughter 
over  the  falls.  Of  course  they've  both  read  it ;  and,  as 
I  told  you,  if  that  young  Bailey  around  here  is  really  a 
detcctiYC,  he  would  hear  of  the  letter,  make  us  all  the 
trouble  he  could,  and  the  old  suspicions  would  start  up 


again. 


At  length  the  money  had  been  counted,  and  the  letter 
had  also  been  read,  and  was  considered  a  matter  which 
so  far  as  smuggling  was  concerned,  concerned  them  all. 
And  from  what  was  overheard  by  the  individual  under 
such  peculiar  circumstances  in  the  loft,  he  had  an  abiding 
sense  that  things  present  and  things  to  come,  in  a  strange 
combination  of  ways,  were  also  matters  of  infinite  con- 
cern to  him  I  Things  rushed  into  his  mind  as  they  only 
can  when  the  mind  is  under  some  extraordinary  excite- 
ment— like  a  panoramic  view  of  one's  life  when  some 
sudden  death  is  approaching.  His  blood  quickened  its 
course  over  the  wrongs  which  Judge  Bailey  had  done 
him.  The  fraud  of  the  will — the  falsehoods  to  Deacon 
Sommcrs  and  Laura — the  letter  just  injuring  him  as  a 
detective — the  present  imminent  danger  of  his  own  life  ; 
and  more  than  all  this,  an  innocent  and  a  beautiful  girl 


A    STOUY    OF    NIAGARA. 


265 


a  til  lui 
conclu- 
c  -wliicli 

iCCt. 

ill  take 
,er  from 
r  to  keep 
s  to  the 
iaughtcr 
;  and,  as 
I  really  a 
B  all  tlie 
.  start  up 

the  letter 
ter  wbicli 
tliem  all. 
aal  under 
.n  abiding 
a  strange 
inite  con- 
they  only 
jy  excite- 
[ben  some 
ikened  its 
bad  done 
;o  Deacon 
bim  as  a 
own  life; 
Aitiful  girl 


was  in  tlie  power  of  runians,  and  tliut  girl  tbe  one  be 
loved!  All  tills  nerved  liini  to  a  desperate  resjlve  to 
attein])t  the  rescue  of  Laura  and  bcr  father. 

The  cold  sweat  stood  upon  his  forehead  while  he  looked 
with  wide-open  eyes  on  the  scene  below,  and  prayed 
silently  for  Almighty  God  to  aid  bim  now  to  deliver  the 
innocent  out  of  the  bands  of  the  guilty! 

But  bis  own  heart  responded  that  the  day  of  miracles 
was  past.  The  only  weapon,  too,  which  be  had  taken 
with  him  that  day,  was  a  small,  single  ban-el  pistol. 
And  be  was  even  without  ammunition  to  load  it  after  the 
first  fire!  And  yet  again  and  again  be  mentally  prayed 
that  God  would  show  bim  tbe  means  of  deliverance ;  and 
as  bis  hoj)Cs  sank  be  prayed  for  'faith'  in  prayer  ! 

"Well,"  said  Bergman,  "what  is  to  be  done  must  be 
done  now.  For  the  storm  is  getting  over  and  three  of 
you  have  some  ways  to  go.  Besides  that,  it's  near  a  mile 
to  the  rapids  to  get  this  job  off  our  bands." 

"  Your  heartless  cowardice,"  said  Figslcy  to  Yroman, 
"  which  leads  you  to  call  for  the  destruction  of  this  girl, 
gains  nothing  by  reminding  me  of  Eleanor  Grace,  and 
how,  years  ago,  when  we  sold  ourselves  to  Jared  Bailey, 
that  damnable  work  led  me  on  and  on  to  what  I  am ! 
You  remember  bow  like  a  mean  and  degraded  coward  to 
defend  himself,  be  tempted  us  with  money  to  rob  Eleanor 
of  her  friends,  because  be  could  not  bribe  bcr  to  false- 
hood !  You  and  I  know  hoiv  her  heart  was  broken  and 
ivhy  sbe  disappeared.  I  shall  not  add  another  sucb  vic- 
tim to  my  memory !     And  when   I   am   out  of  Jared 

Bailey's  pay  and  powder — and  yours,  too 
12 


vengeance  shall 


•  11 


^  ;i] 


!         i  i    'a 
si 


I  li 


266 


A    STOKY    OF    NIAGARA. 


rise  for  liiin  out  of  tlic  grave  of  Elciuior  Grace.  And 
now  I  swear  by  her  memory,  I  will  defend  this  girl  from 
harm  by  my  life  if  need  be.     So  fit  your  plans  to  that!" 

"  Figslcy,  you  do  but  mock  yourself  There  lies  the 
girl  before  you,  bound  in  cords;  and  you  know  her 
tongue  must  be  silenced  or  all  our  necks  be  stretched." 

"Then  free  them  both,"  said  Figslej^;  "restore  the 
money,  and  there's  no  robbery ;  our  excuse  in  these  times 
is  fair,  if  we  thouglit  them  Fenians  T^ 

"  The  money  is  too  much  to  restore  ! "  said  Ilardstriker, 
"quite  too  much !" 

"And  the  money  wc  keep!"  added  Slyboy. 

"And  the  man  goes  over  the  falls!"  said  Bergman, 
"  and  the  girl — why,  perhaps  wc  might  send  her  away." 

"  No,  I'll  not  risk  it,"  said  Vroman,  half  beside  him- 
self, with  fear  and  rage.  "  The  only  safe  plan  is  the 
'accident  over  the  falls,'  for  them  both." 

"Yroman!"  said  Figslcy,  "you  and  I  arc  villains,  at 
best,  but,  by  my  soul !  (though  lost  it  is)  I'm  a  man  yet, 
and  so  long  as  blood  runs  in  my  veins,  and  I  have  eyes 
to  behold  beauty,  weakness  and  innocence,  I'll  defend 
woman  as  I  would  a  child ;  and  I'll  see  not  the  strong 
arm  of  man  lifted  against  the  life  of  any  woman  !  nor  to 
degrade  her — against  her  will !  And  this  I  swear  uj)on 
my  honor,  as  one  villain  to  another ! " 

"  Coward ! "  said  Vroman,  with  the  look  of  a  demon, 
"I'll  despatch  the  girl  myself  to  save  ourselves,  and  end 
this  quarrel  at  once."  But  as  he  said  this  and  drew  forth 
his  pistol  for  the  hellish  deed,  he  still  kept  his  eye  on 
Figsley,  in  whose  look  he  seemed  to  read  danger ! 


<* 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGAllA. 


267 


It  was  now  high  time  for  the  iiulividuul  in  tlic  h)ft  to 
close  his  pniycr  antl  come  to  the  rescue. 

And  in  that  very  instant  Benjamin  Bailey  saw  tlic 
answer  to  his  i)rayer.  The  solemn  means  of  rescue  was 
at  his  side.  It  was  an  instant  for  life  or  death.  He 
seized  the  corpse  of  Bergman's  once  abused  house-keeper 
and  threw  it  down  among  the  robbers  as  if  it  had  jumj)ed 
among  them;  Benjamin  uttering  at  the  same  time  in  a 
slow,  monotonous  voice : 

*'  Sinners  I  your  days  are  numbered  ! " 

But  the  same  moment  that  he  seized  hold  of  the  corpse 
and  threw  it  from  him,  he  heard  the  discharge  of  two 
pistols.  Figsley  had  shot  Vroman  dead,  and  received 
himself  a  mortal  wound  from  Vroman's  revolver !  The 
other  four,  shocked  at  the  result  of  the  quarrel  and  fright- 
ened at  the  descent  of  a  ghost  among  them,  for  an  instant 
could  not  move.  Bergman  cried,  "  0,  my  God !  forgive 
me  I "  and  then  flew  from  his  shanty,  followed  by  Ilard- 
striker  and  Sly  boy,  and  another  whom  Benjamin  had  not 
recognized.  Figsley  raised  up,  rolled  his  eyes  towards 
the  corpse  in  its  winding-sheet  and  groaned :  "  O,  God ! 
is  this  the  day  of  judgment?  or,  is  this  a  spirit  from  the 
grave  of  Eleanor  Grace?" 

Benjamin  hastened  down  the  ladder  in  time  to  hear  the 
receding  footsteps  of  the  robbers  and  note  the  direction 
of  their  flight.  And  then  with  a  heart  too  full  of  emo- 
tions for  utterance  he  tenderly  unbound  and  ungaggcd 
Laura  and  her  father. 

"0,  kind  sir,  who  are  you?  who  are  you?"  said 
Laura,  when  she  realized  that  she  was  in  the  presence  of 


268 


/    STORY    OF   NIAGARA 


a  friend,  and  was  assured  that  her  fatlicr  was  not  danger- 
ously injured ;  for  in  the  dim  light  and  her  almost  uncon- 
scious state  from  fright,  she  had  not  yet  recognized  their 
rescuer. 

Deacon  Sommers  spoke  at  the  same  time :  "  Tell  me," 
he  said,  "my  dear  sir,  what  is  the  meaning  of  all  this, 
and  are  you  a  friend  or  foe  ?  "  * 

To  both  questions  Benjamin  now  replied:  "I  am  a 
detective  officer,  and  by  the  blessing  of  God  your  lives 
are  saved."  Saying  this  he  opened  the  light  of  a  dark 
lantern  which  sat  near  them  so  that  he  could  be  ])lainly 
seen,  and  then  he  said  only  as  a  faithful  lover  could  have 
said  it :  "  My  dear  Laura,  do  you  know  me  ?  " 

"0,  my  dear  Benjamin!"  she  said,  with  emotions  that 
no  words  can  describe,  and  grasping  his  hand,  "My  dear 
Benjamin,  is  it  you?  is  it  you?  0,  father,  it  is  Benja- 
min Bailey !  it  is  Benjamin  Bailey !" 

But  it  is  impossible  to  picture  the  feelings  of  Deacon 
Sommers  and  his  daughter  and  Benjamin,  as  tiic}^  looked 
upon  each  other  and  on  the  scene  before  them !  which 
scene  we  leave  to  the  imagination  of  the  reade "  -^xcept 
to  relate  that  as  they  were  about  to  leave  the  solenm  and 
frightful  place,  Benjamin  took  possession  of  two  revolvers 
which  the  robbers  had  lain  upon  the  table  while  counting 
the  money,  all  of  which,  together  with  the  lost  letter, 
were  left  by  the  frightened  criminals  in  their  hasty  flight 
The  money  and  the  letter  Benjam.in  placed  with  his  own 
hands  back  into  the  pocket  of  Deacon  Sommers. 

"Mr.  Figsley,"  said  Benjamin,  before  leaving  him, 
"  you  cannot  live,  probably,  many  hours,     I  cannot  move 


A    STORY   OF    NIAGARA. 


269 


you  now,  but  will  have  a  surgeon  sent  to  care  for  you 
soon  as  possible.  But  as  you  arc  about  to  die  it  ean  do 
you  no  harm,  Mr.  Figsley,  to  tell  me  the  truth.  For  I 
am  Benjamin  Bailey !  and  you  know  something  about 
the  will  of  my  grandfather,  Mortimer  Bailey,  whieh  you 
and  John  Vroman  signed  as  witnesses,  twenty  years  ago. 
Is  there  any  evidence  to  prove  the  truth  against  Jared 
Bailey?" 

Figsley  seemed  to  realize  that  his  life's  en^  had  come ; 
and  as  Benjamin  put  him  in  an  easier  position  he  replied : 

"Jared  Bailey  was  no  relation  of  your  family — he  was 
a  foundling — born  in  Canada.  But  it  hurts  me  so  tc 
talk." 

He  rested  a  moment  and  then  added  in  a  weak  voice : 

"  You  will  find  some  secret  papers — under  the  floor — 
of  my  room — which  tells  the  truth.  They  are — in  the 
grave — of  Eleanor — Grace ! " 

These  were  Figsley 's  last  words. 

The  storm  had  now  cleared  away,  and  by  the  light  of 
the  lantern,  a  little  way  from  the  roadside,  Benjamin 
found  Deacon  Sommers'  horse  tied  to  a  tree.  Leading  it 
into  the  road  Benjamin  a.ssisted  Laura  and  her  father 
into  the  carriage,  and  then  getting  into  the  carriage  him- 
self he  drove  to  the  house  of  a  friend  in  Cliippewa,  where 
they  remained  awhile  in  consequence  of  Deacon  Som- 
incrs'  condition  from  the  wounds  he  had  received. 


!  'I 


I 


' 


CHAPTER  XXYI. 

An  Embarrassing  Invitation— A  Manly  Reply— A  Short  and  Affecting  Explanation- 
More  Disclosures  —  The  Fate  of  Eleanor  Grace  —  The  Will  —  Death  of  Judge 
Bailey— Justice,  Truth  and  Happiness. 

An  liour  after  Deacon  Sommcrs  had  waslied  the  blood 
from  his  face,  at  the  house  of  his  friend,  he  had  appa- 
rently recovered  almost  as  much  from  the  effects  of  his 
wounds  as  from  his  fright. 

In  the  mean  time  the  police  were  apprised  of  matters 
that  had  taken  place,  and  the  proper  authorities  left  to 
look  after  the  affairs  at  Bergman's  shanty. 

A  carriage  was  procured,  and  one  or  two  friends 
escorted  Deacon  Sommcrs  and  his  daughter  home ; 

And  as  straws  show  which  way  the  wind  does  blow. 
Or  a  chip  show  the  stillest  river's  flow, 
Or  as  som  t  kindly  act,  howe'er  so  small, 
Will  tell  the  state  of  feelings  in  ns  all, 

SO  It  need  not  be  recorded  here  all  that  was  said  by 
Deacon  Sommcrs  to  Benjamin  Bailey.  Even  the  fact 
that  Deacon  Sommers  offered  him  no  reward  in  money, 
as  might  have  been  natural  for  an  expression  of  grati- 
tude, or  to  balance  obligations,  was  noticed  favorably  by 
Benjamin ;  while  the  manner  in  which  Laura  and  her 
fatiier  urged  that  he  would  accompany  them  home,  greatly 
encouraged  him. 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


271 


He  longed  to  know  Laura's  feelings  towards  liini ;  but 
he  said  at  last,  to  Dcaeon  Sommers : 

"  IIow  can  I,  Mr.  Sommers,  how  can  I  accept  your 
invitation,  to  be  one  moment  in  your  house,  where  I  must 
see  the  one  I  love,  only  because  your  gratitude,  and  not 
your  respect^  invites  me  there  ?  " 

"  0,  Benjamin,"  said  Laura,  bursting  into  tears  at  his 
reference  to  herself  and  his  constancy  to  her,  "  don't 
blame  my  father.  IIow  could  he  think  they  would  tell 
such  fcihelioodsf  But  he  found  it  all  out  at  last,  and 
wanted  to  see  you  so  much  ! " 

"Mr.  Bailey,"  said  Deacon  Sommers,  "I  feel  deeply 
the  just  rebuke  of  your  words,  and  the  manly  nature 
they  indicate.  But  this  occasion  of  my  gratitude  has 
not  come  before  I  learned  to  respect  you  !  And  I  urge 
you  now  to  go  home  with  tis  that  I  may  apologize,  and 
ex^  lain,  before  expressing  my  gratitude.  I  was  too  con- 
fiding where  there  was  an  interest  to  injure  you !  I 
should  have  taken  more  pains  to  have  learned  the  truth." 

A  few  moments  later  and  it  happened  somehow  as 
natural  as  if  it  had  been  decreed  to  be  so,  that  Benjamin 
Bailey  was  seated  by  the  side  of  Laura  Sommers;  and 
this  in  the  same  carriage  with  her  father. 

Mr.  Sommers  and  his  daughter  had  been  expected  home 
before  dark ;  and  Mrs.  Sommers  had  become  uneasy  about 
them.  Even  the  showers  of  rain  wdiich  had  descended 
that  afternoon,  she  thought  would  not  have  delayed  them 
to  so  late  an  hour  in  the  evening.  The  covered  carriage 
and  high  oil-cloth  boot  in  front,  must  have  made  them 
prefer  a  drive  in  daylight  rain,  than  to  risk  the  weather 


A 

,1 


i 


272 


A    STORY    OF   NIAGARA. 


after  dark.  But  if  darkness  had  overtaken  tliem  on  tlic 
road,  some  accident  it  seemed  must  have  happened  to 
them.  Or  it  might  be  that  some  evil  person  had  found 
out  that  he  was  going  after  money,  though  she  was  cer- 
tain they  had  taken  pains  not  even  to  let  the  servants 
know  of  it 

Perhaps  she  never  knew  how  innocently  Dinah  had 
iDcen  the  means  of  conveying  tliat  information  to  John 
Yroman  by  way  of  the  fish-peddler. 

Mr.  Sommers  and  his  escort  at  last  reached  his  mansion. 
Mrs.  Sommers  met  them  at  the  door.  From  the  light  of 
the  hall  lamp  in  an  instant  she  discovered,  or  fancied  she 
discovered,  that  something  unusual  had  hajipcned.  And 
her  anxiety  over  their  non-arrival  was  now  almost 
changed  to  alarm  at  their  appearance.  But  Deacon  Som- 
mers immediately  informed  her  that  they  were  all  safe 
and  little  harmed ;  and  though  thc}'^  had  met  with  a  little 
danger  among  some  desperate  bad  men,  it  was  all  over 
now. 

"  We've  had  an  awful  time !  mother.  We  came  near 
being  murdered ! "  said  Laura,  with  less  of  caution  in  her 
announcement. 

The  next  instant  Mrs.  Sommers'  excitement  and  retro- 
spective alarm  was  equaled  by  her  confusion  and  surprise 
as  she  noticed  the  presence  of  Mr.  Benjamin  Bailey 
among  them ;  w^hose  name  Laura  then  announced  with 
what  seemed  to  her  mother,  a  singular  emotion  of  excite- 
ment and  satisfaction,  as  she  rushed,  weeping,  to  her 
mother's  arms. 

For  a  few  moments  Mrs.  Sommers  could  scarcely  deter- 


^  I!  t 
•    i 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


273 


mine  wliat  ideas  in  licr  own  mind  were  uppermost — 
safety,  and  danger,  and  murder,  and  what  it  all  had  to  do 
with  Benjamin  Bailey ! 

Explanations,  of  course,  followed.  And  on  that  eve- 
ning Benjamin  Bailey  was  a  welcome  guest  in  the  family 
of  Deacon  Sommers  i 

The  lost  letter  which  Figsley  had  read  while  Benjamin 
listened  in  the  loft  at  Bergman's  shanty,  and  which  Laura 
and  Deacon  Sommers  had  previously  read,  made  explan- 
ations easy  respecting  Benjamin,  but  it  pointed  to  a  mys- 
terious field  of  inquiry  on  the  morrow — into  the  character 
and  secret  history  of  Jared  Bailey. 

Laura's  transition  from  so  much  fright  to  so  much  joy 
at  being  restored  to  confidence  in  the  integrity,  honor  and 
manly  worth  of  her  well-tried  and  faithful  lover,  was 
almost  more  than  she  could  bear. 

How  Deacon  Sommers  explained  his  giving  so  little 
attention  to  the  account  of  Mrs.  Hartley  exposing  Judge 
Bailey,  and  how  he  was  so  deceiv^ed  as  to  doubt  her 
veracity,  we  need  not  rep. at  events  to  record. 

"It  needs  not  my  gratitude,"  said.  Deacon  Sommers  to 
Benjamin,  "as  any  part  of  my  reasons  now  for  believing 
as  I  do,  that  you  are  worthy  of  my  daughter.  I  have 
been  deceived  by  Jared  Bailey  and  through  those  who 
have  been  deceived  by  him,  or  who  were,  and  perhaps 
still  are,  dependent  upon  him.  And  that  letter  found 
to-day,  shows  that  there  is  still  more  to  be  developed 
against  him.'! 

"To-morrow   morning,"    replied    Benjamin,    "I   must 

know  what  will  be  found  below  the  floor  of  Mr.  Figsley's 
12* 


m 


*  I 


\l 


.::! 


I 


I 


274 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


room.  If  I  find  secret  papers  there,  I  hope  I  may  learn 
what  he  meant  by  saying  that  Jarcd  Bailey  was  no  rela- 
tion of  mine." 

Yes,  on  the  morrow  Benjamin  Bailey  was  there  to 
witness  a  seene  nearly  as  exciting  as  that  through  which 
he  had  just  passed.  For  Judge  Bailey  had  received  the 
telegram  from  Vroman,  and  would  arrive  on  the  morn- 
ing train. 

At  nine  o'clock  the  next  morning  Benjamin  with  sev- 
eral citizens  and  an  officer  was  in  Figsley's  room. 

They  proceeded  to  remove  the  stove  and  then  a  large 
piece  of  zinc,  which  had  been  so  firmly  nailed  to  the 
floor  that  one  of  the  party,  a  superstitious  old  man,  who 
knew  that  they  expected  to  find  a  mysterious  grave  there, 
suggested  that  the  zinc  itself  appeared  to  have  been  fas- 
tened down  by  some  guilty  hand  to  help  hide  what  had 
been  buried  beneath  !  The  floor  boards  under  the  zinc, 
it  was  noticed,  were  so  nailed  and  matched  that  it  seemed 
as  if  they  might  have  been  sometime  taken  up  and 
replaced ;  and,  yet  like  the  nails  in  the  zinc,  it  needed 
first  to  have  a  suspicion  awakened  before  it  would  have 
been  noticeable. 

As  they  made  an  opening  through  the  floor,  they  saw 
below  it,  only  such  rubbish  as  old  plaster,  and  fragments 
of  brick  from  some  old  fire-place  or  chimney,  and  this 
covered  the  ground.  The  space  between  the  rubbish  and 
the  floor  was  narrow,  and  tightly  enclosed  by  a  stone 
wall  under  the  sills  of  the  building,  which,  together  with 
the  nature  of  the  rubbish,  prevented  any  appearance  that 
could  give  indication  as  to  whether  it  had  long  remained 
there  undisturbed. 


A    STOllY    OF    NIAGARA. 


275 


Moving  aside  the  rubbish  they  excavated  the  gronnd 
to  the  depth  of  some  three  feet,  when  they  came  to  a 
hiyer  of  flat  stones;  underneath  which  they  found  a 
straight-sided  coffin,  whose  state  of  decay  rendered  the 
cover  easily  removed ;  when  there  was  exjiosed  to  view 
the  skeleton  of  a  woman.  The  position  in  which  the 
bones  lay,  indicated  that  the  body  had  been  respectfully 
cared  for.     But  why  w^as  the  burial  in  this  secret  place  ? 

Nothing  which  might  contain  the  secret  papers  to  which 
Figsley  had  referred  was  visible.  With  solemnity  and 
respect  Benjamin  and  all  present  uncovered  their  heads 
and  stood  a  few  moments  in  silence  around  this  mysteri- 
ous grave ! 

While  in  this  attitude  a  stranger,  accompanied  by 
Figsley's  tenant,  entered  the  room ;  and  Benjamin  fas- 
tened his  eyes  upon  the  large  and  burly  form  of  Jared 
Bailey !  Neither  of  them  spoke.  The  Judge  approached 
and  looked  into  the  grave.  The  color  went  from  his 
fiice;  he  looked  upon  the  persons  present,  and  then 
around  the  room.  He  knew  nothing  of  what  had  passed 
except  what  the  sudden  scene  before  him  was  revealing, 
and  that  Yroman  had  gone  to  Figsley's  the  night  before 
concerned  about  the  lost  letter !  Learning  this  at  Vro- 
man's  house  on  his  arrival,  he  had  immediately  hastened 
to  Figsley's.  And  now  there  were  awakening  memories 
torturing  his  very  soul  with  fear,  as  if  all  his  secrets  were 
about  to  rise  up  against  him  from  the  grave  before  him  ! 
He  remembered  Figsley's  threats  and  his  allusions  to  the 
grave  of  Eleanor  Grace,  and  how  he  had  wronged  thai 
innocent  girl  to  cover  up  his  own  crimes — he  trembled,  as 


276 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


i    i 

1^  ti 


I       k'I 


I     !■ 


if  he  believed  that  Figslcy's  dark  allusions  and  vaguo 
tlircats  liad  foretold  liis  destruction  here.  And  yet  he 
strove  as  if  for  dear  life  to  meet  ever^'tliing  in  his  usual 
manner — to  appear  the  embodiment  of  innocence!  and 
to  stand  upon  dignity. 

But  from  Benjamin  Bailey  who  now  possessed  the  key 
to  his  heartless  soul  and  secret  crimes,  his  usually  bold 
and  brazen  face  did  not  now  conceal  his  alarm. 

After  a  few  moments'  pause  Benjamin  suggested  that 
the  ground  be  loosened  around  the  coffin ;  which  being 
done,  an  earthen  jar  with  a  tightly  sealed  cover  was  found 
close  to  the  head  of  the  coffin  I  Benjamin  opened  the 
jar.     It  contained  a  letter  and  two  packages. 

"From  the  writing  on  the  outside  of  these  papers," 
said  he,  "it  appears  they  are  intended  for  the  heirs  of 
my  father.     The  superscription  reads : 

"To  John  and  Benjamin  and  Matilda  Bailey,  heirs 
interested  in  the  property  of  Mortimer  Bailey,  deceased." 

Then  opening  a  paper  tied  on  the  wrapper  of  the 
larger  package,  he  read  aloud,  as  follows : 

"  This  is  to  certify  that  I,  Miss  Eleanor  Grace,  do 
declare  that  this  writing  contains  my  dying  statement,  to 
be  exposed  when  it  can  harm  no  one  but  Jared  Bailey — 
a  man,  who,  to  contradict  the  truth  I  was  obliged  to  utter 
against  him,  has  succeeded  by  falsehood  and  the  aid  of 
those  interested,  or  bribed,  or  entangled  with  him,  to 
turn  every  earthly  friend  against  me,  till,  without  honora- 
ble means  of  support,  I  have  returned  thus  far,  to  take 
vengeance  on  my  slanderer !  But  I  am  too  weak  to  go 
further,  aud  now  here,  I  will  die,  begging  this  rough  man 


i 
■» 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


277 


to  tiikc  vengeance  for  me;  which  he  has  sworn  to  do 
when  he  can  with  safety  to  himself " 

Had  Benjamin  read  the  remaining  lines  upon  this 
paper,  he  would  have  seen  upon  the  bottom  the  signature 
of  Eleanor  Grace.  But  a  groan  from  Jared  Bailey,  as  he 
sank  into  a  chair,  caused  Benjamin  to  put  the  papers  into 
his  pocket  and  aid  tlie  others  present  in  attempting  to 
resuscitate  his  greatest  enemy — the  man  who  had  de- 
frauded him  of  a,  fortune,  and  by  falsehood  had  broken 
up  the  happy  prospects  of  his  marriage. 

But  all  efforts  at  resuscitation  were  useless.  Five  min- 
utes later  and  Jarcd  Bailey  had  ceased  to  breathe.  Ilis 
agitation  over  the  evident  certainty  of  being  exposed  in 
what  he  had  so  long  hidden  from  the  public,  was  more 
than  the  state  of  his  diseased  heart  could  endure.  A 
fatal  rupture  was  produced,  and  thus  his  death  was 
strangely  connected  with  the  last  criminal  attempt  of 
Vroman  and  Figsley  1  And,  stranger  still,  it  seemed  that 
he  had  been  sent  there,  after  so  many  years,  by  the  mys- 
terious ways  of  Providence,  to  meet  the  vengeance  of 
Eleanor  at  her  grave,  for  his  punishment.  And  from  the 
relation  which  it  all  bore  to  the  course  which  Jared  Bailey 
had  begun  years  and  years  before,  it  furnishes  a  remark- 
able illustration  of  the  distance  to  which  moral  causes 
will  reach  results  to  bring  just  retribution  upon  those 
who  forsake  the  paths  of  honor,  and  who  attempt  to 
entangle  the  innocent  to  cover  their  own  guilt. 

The  grave  under  Figsley's  floor  was  now  covered  over 
for  the  present.  The  paj^ers  were  examined  and  left 
with  the  Canadian  authorities,  to  await  such  action  as 
they  might  deem  necessary. 


9  '"■£1 

.11.  (I 


!     fl 


l^i 

':^ll 


278 


A    STORY    OF   NIAGARA. 


Benjamin  now  returned  to  Deacon  Sommcrs',  wlicrc, 
as  soon  as  lie  entered  the  house,  lie  was  rceeivcd  with 
renewed  manifestations  of  gratitude  and  rcsj^ect.  Mrs. 
Sommers  took  him  by  the  hand,  saying : 

"  Bless  the  Lord  for  what  you  have  done  for  us,  Ben- 
jamin ! "  And  she  kissed  him  as  a  mother  would  have 
kissed  a  grown-up  son,  and  then  she  added:  "We  have 
talked  of  you  all  the  morning." 

But  before  she  had  begun  the  last  remark,  Laura  had 
gained  possession  of  Benjamin's  hand,  and  she  declared 
she  "would  kiss  him  too,  if  she  never  did  again  ! "  And 
she  doubled  her  mother's  example;  while  Benjamin  re- 
turned Laura's  affectionate  grasp  of  the  hand  and  inno- 
cent kisses  with  a  fervor  that  each  understood  —  an 
engagement  renewed. 

Deacon  Sommcrs  at  the  same  time,  slowly  arose  from 
a  sofa,  upon  which  he  was  reclining,  at  the  opposite  side 
of  the  room,  and  advanv'icd  towards  them,  holding  a  sat- 
urated cloth  to  his  forehead  with  one  hand,  while  he  ex- 
tended the  other  to  Benjamin  Bailey,  and,  in  turn  gave 
him  sincere  welcome. 

At  length  Benjamin  proceeded  to  give  them  an  account 
of  the  sad  and  singular  scene  which  he  had  just  wit- 
nessed in  Figsley's  room ;  and  also  of  the  discovered 
papers !  One  of  the  papers  found,  and  which  was  in 
Figsley's  handwriting,  read  substantially  as  follows: 

"  To  all  whom  it  may  concern  : 

"  The  grave  in  which  these  papers  will  be  found,  con- 
tains the  remains  of  Miss  Eleanor  Grace. 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


279 


*'  llcr  dead  body  lias  been  tlirown  upon  my  bands  to 
punish  and  baunt  me  for  a  cruelty  that  Jarcd  Bailey  and 
his  family  are  more  guilty  of  than  I  am.  Iler  story 
about  the  -will  was  true.  Ours  against  her  character  was 
only  told  to  defend  ourselves !  It  was  cruel  as  murder 
itself;  and  for  this  poor,  innocent  creature's  sake,  I  would 
give  the  world  could  I  restore  her  now  to  life,  and  take 
back  the  injury  we  did  her. 

"  She  came  back  here  to  make  Jarcd  Bailey  retract 
what  he  had  said  to  the  young  man  she  loved.  She  got 
as  far  as  here,  and  said  she  was  too  weak  to  go  further ; 
called  for  pen  and  paper,  and  wrote  what  is  herewith 
enclosed ;  then  in  a  fit  of  despair  swallowed  a  dose  of 
strychnine  and  died ! 

"  Finding  that  no  one  knew  that  she  had  come  here,  I 
feared  that  it  might  be  suspected  that  I  had  poisoned  her, 
from  some  motive  perhaps  about  the  will,  or  something 
else,  and  so  I  buried  her  secretly  with  these  papers. 
Jarcd  Bailey  knows  that  I  have  buried  her  with  these 
papers,  but  does  not  know  where.  So  long  as  I  keep  his 
secrets  he  must  pay  me  well ! 

"  One  package  here  contains  some  of  his  own  letters 
about  the  will  affair ;  also  the  true  will,  which  Mortimer 
Bailey  read  and  signed;  also  a  second,  unsigned  will, 
V\fhich  he  thought  he  signed,  but  Jared  Bailey  had  slipped 
it  away  and  put  the  one  in  its  place  which  had  been 
prepared  privately  for  that  purpose. 

"  There  is  another  little  bit  of  correspondence  here, 
which  I  propose  to  keep,  in  order  to  hold  Jared  Bailey 
and  his  lady  to  their  agreements.     For,  when  men  are 


m 


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IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


// 


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Ii4 


L25  111.4 


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/A 


280 


A   STORY   OF   NIAGARA. 


hired  to  do  as  mean  a  thing  as  Vroman  and  I  liavc  done, 
I'm  in  favor  of  getting  my  pay  by  keeping  things  in  my 
own  power  as  much  as  possible.  He  talks  of  leaving 
this  section,  but  if  I  choose  he  will  find  facts  can  reach 
him  wherever  he  goes.  The  little  narrative  of  Eleanor 
Grace,  herewith  enclosed  for  safe  keeping,  with  sonic 
other  papers,  he  and.  his  aristocratic  wife  would  not  care 
to  have  made  public !  Two  of  his  own  letters  to  Vro- 
man— no  matter  how  I  came  by  them — and  one  of  Mrs. 
Bailey's,  will  rather  tend  to  keep  us  all  on  a  level,  I  think. 
"The  heirs  will  see  by  papers  inclosed,  that  Jared 
Bailey  is  no  relative  of  the  Baileys.  Mortimer  Bailey, 
while  living  in  Canada  with  his  first  wife,  took  him  out 
of  pity  when  an  infant.  His  real  father  was  Jerry  Grim- 
bold,  a  tavern-keeper  in  St.  Catharines,  who  at  last  died 
in  Welland  jail.  His  principal  virtues  were  deviltry, 
tobacco  and  whisky.  The  worst  thing  about  John  Vro- 
man is,  that  he  is  a  half  brother  of  Jared  Grimbold. 
And  the  worst  thing  about  me,  up  to  this  date  ai,  least, 
is,  that  after  selling  myself  as  their  witness  in  the  fraud 
against  the  Bailey  heirs,  I  was  obliged  to  help  them 
wrong  Eleanor  Grace,  who  was  too  good  to  marry  me. 
And  now  I  am  cursed  with  her  frightful  presence  !  Poor 
Eleanor ;  on  my  part  I  only  intended  to  frighten  her  from 
exposing  the  crime.  But  Jared  Bailey  intended  more 
than  I  dreamed  of!  Good  heavens!  if  I  am  a  bad  man, 
read  what  she  has  written  of  Jared  Bailey.  Eead  what 
Jared  Bailey  did  in  his  vain  attempts  to  degrade  and  to 
subdue  Eleanor  and  Adeline.  When  they  would  have 
married  iiappily,  husbands  of  wealth,  education  and  influ- 


A   STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


281 


cncc,  he  laid  plans  to  defeat  tlicni,  blasting  their  hopes  to 
accomplish  his  own  ;  but  baflled  by  their  virtue  in  every 
attempt  to  degrade  them — even  by  promises  which,  as  a 
libertine,  he  never  intended  to  fulfill — he  stooped  at  last 
to  bold  abuse  and  shameful  advantage. 

"  Failing  in  all,  at  last  he  attempted  to  degrade  them 
by  entangling  them  with  us  in  a  sanction  and  conceal- 
ment of  the  fraud  in  the  will  by  offering  them  a  bribe ; 
and  then  it  was  that  I,  too,  was  interested  in  degrading 
them,  for  they  knew  of  the  part  I  had  taken  in  the  fraud! 
Then  it  was  they  both  left  the  house  of  Jared  Bailey 
forever — Adeline,  paid  and  frightened  into  silence,  but 
Eleanor  destroyed  in  saving  her  innocence ! 

"  O,  heavens  !  had  I  foreseen  it  all,  I  would  have  been 
happier  to  have  lived  an  honest  slave  and  deserved  the 
gratitude  of  those  poor  girls,  rather  than  bear  the  remorse 
of  having  aided  these  brother-villains  thus  to  have  per- 
secuted their  innocent  lives,  though  I  had  gained  the 
whole  of  Mortimer  Bailey's  property  I 

"  But  it's  done  now  ;  and  time  must  tell  its  story  ;  but 
when,  or  what,  or  how,  I  can  but  wonder  in  this  strange 
work  to-night !  For  now  I  scarcely  know  my  own  pur- 
pose ;  though  I  would  to  God  that  this  night's  job  were 
done — this  corpse  were  out  of  sight — and  I  could  know 
the  end  of  the  undersigned. 

"James  Figsley." 


The  limits  designed  for  this  volume,  as  well  as  the 
events  now  connected  with  its  principal  characters,  are 


about  to  bring  it  to  a  close. 


f 


CHAPTEK  XXVII. 

Of  the  Events  which  force  our  story  to  its  concluxion— And  what  became  of  tho 

principal  charactcrB. 

Jared  Bailey  was  buried  in  Fallington  cemetery. 
The  Eev.  Mr.  Smootliwell  prcadied  the  funeral  sermon. 
And  the  several  instances  where  Mr.  Bailey  had  given  a 
few  dollars  to  some  distressed  family,  and  the  fact  that 
he  had  contributed  to  the  usual  popular  benevolent 
causes,  and  paid  the  largest  rent  for  the  most  prominent 
pew  in  the  most  wealthy  church,  and  had  been  the  most 
liberal  in  gifts  to  the  paster — all  this,  together  with  other 
influences  with  which  the  reader  has  been  made  acquainted, 
seemed  in  the  opinion  of  society  to  have  struck  a  balance 
to  his  credit,  and  to  have  stigmatized  all  rumor  against 
him,  as  the  base  and  revengeful  work  of  his  enemies ; 
when  in  fact  the  late  developments  connected  with  the 
letter  which  Vroman  had  lost,  and  the  papers  found  in 
the  grave,  and  all  that  directly  implicated  Jared  Bailey 
in  a  criminal  and  disgraceful  course,  had,  out  of  kind- 
ness to  his  alarmed  and  bereaved  family  and  friends,  for 
the  present,  been  concealed  from  the  public,  at  the  sug- 
gestion of  Mr.  Sommers,  and  consented  to  by  Benjamin 
himself.  Therefore,  in  spite  of  old  or  recent  rumors,  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Smootliwell  knowing  little  of  the  facts,  and 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


283 


remembering  only  liis  own  sermons  on  charity  and  for- 
giveness, said  an  eulogy  to  the  good  deeds  of  Judge 
Bailey,  making  a  respectable  reference  to  his  life  and 
character. 

"  The  immediate  cause  of  Mr.  Bailey's  death,"  said 
Mr.  Smoothwell,  with  perhaps  innocent  feeling,  "showed 
but  too  plainly  how  easily  he  was  affected  over  the  misfor- 
tunes of  others.  It  is  true  that  he  had  been  afflicted  with  a 
disease  of  the  heart  But  the  immediate  cause  of  the  rup- 
ture which  produced  death,  was  the  shock  given  him  on 
suddenly  learning  the  fate  of  a  beloved  adopted  daugh- 
ter, who,  many  years  ago,  had  mysteriously  disappeared 
and  met  an  early  grave,  under  circumstances  too  painful 
to  relate,  and  which,  coming  to  light,  was  the  occasion  of 
Mr.  Bailey's  late  visit  to  Niagara,  the  scene  of  his  death." 

Here,  again,  was  the  character  of  poor  Eleanor,  so 
long  since  dead,  slandered  by  unjust  insinuation,  which 
Mrs.  Judge  Bailey  in  her  secret  alarm  had  thought  neces- 
sary to  convey  to  Mr.  Smoothwell,  and  insist  that  he 
should  refer  to  the  matter,  "to  prevent,"  as  she  said, 
"ay  chance  for  false  rumors!"  In  Mrs.  Bailey's  alarm 
Mr.  Smoothwell,  however,  saw  only  regret,  afiection  and 
bereavement ! 

Immediately  after  the  funeral  services  the  will  of  the 
late  Judge  Bailey  was  read,  when  behold  not  one  cent 
of  the  property  promised  Adeline  for  her  silence,  was 
willed  to  her;  the  wish,  however,  was  expressed  that 
Mrs.  Bailey  would  continue  to  be  kind  and  generous 
towards  her  as  they  always  had  been!  To  Mrs.  Bailey 
one-third  of  the  property  was  willed,  and  to  Jerusha,  in 


284 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


an  indirect  ,va^  liere  was  willed  an  amount  nearly  equal 
to  one-third ;  and  the  remainder  about  equally  divided 
among  the  rest  of  the  family. 

A  few  days  after  the  reading  of  the  will  Benjamin 
Bailey  and  Hon.  Mr.  Baldwin,  as  his  attorney,  accompa- 
nied by  Deacon  Sommers,  waited  upon  Mrs.  Jared  Bailey, 
and  David,  and  Jerusha.  Mr.  Baldwin  immediately  pro- 
ceeded to  explain  the  nature  of  the  disclosures  found  in 
the  grave  of  Eleanor  Grace,  and  certain  other  evidence 
which  papers  there  found  had  furnished  the  means  of 
tracing  out  "  Mrs.  Hartley's  letter  as  to  your  own  pri- 
vate conversation  on  certain  matters,"  said  Mr.  Baldwin 
to  Mrs.  Bailey,  "  has  been  fully  sustained.  The  story  of 
poor  Eleanor  Grace,  whom  you  sacrificed  by  falsehood  to 
cover  the  truth  she  could  not  conceal  against  your  hus- 
band for  you,  is  fully  corroborated." 

He  was  then  proceeding  to  explain  what  Mrs.  Bailey 
knew  too  well  was  truth  as  to  how  the  will-fraud  was 
managed,  when  Mrs.  Bailey  fainted.  After  a  little  time, 
however,  she  was  restored.  They  were  then  infor..ied 
that  Adeline  had  fully  corroborated  the  other  disclosures 
about  the  will,  and  that  unless  she  and  her  family  and 
Jerusha  saw  fit  to  accept  some  offer  which  the  rightful 
heirs  of  the  property  might  see  fit  to  make  them,  the 
whole  property  would  be  recovered  from  Mr&  Jared 
Bailey  and  her  family,  and  they  would  be  disgraced  in 
court! 

"And  will  I  lose  aU  dear  Mr.  Bailey  promised  father 
and  me  that  I  should  have?"  asked  Jerusha,  bursting 
into  tears. 


A    STOKY    OF    NIAGARA. 


285 


"From  what  wc  have  hitely  learned,  ^[iss  Vronian,  we 
think  you  certainly  will!"  said  Mr.  Baldwin. 

"Give  us  time  to  think!"  implored  Mrs.  Bailey,  as 
the  three  gentlemen  arose  to  leave  the  liousa 

"0,  yes,  give  us  time  to  think  and  say  nothing!" 
repeated  Jerusha,  "say  nothing!" 

Not  long  after  this  interview  a  settlement  was  agreed 
upon  by  which  at  last  nearly  all  the  property  was  ob- 
tained by  the  rightful  heirs. 

To  those  who  possessed  the  oppoi'tunity  of  Icai-ning 
the  facts  which  had  disclosed  the  real  character  of  the 
late  Jared  Bailey,  the  little  of  other  niattci's  which  also 
came  to  light,  made  it  clear  why  Jerusha,  the  daughter 
of  John  Vroman,  had  been  willed  so  large  a  share  of  the 
property,  while  it  stood,  to  Adeline's  credit  that  she 
expected  so  little, 

Adeline  had.  been  intimidated  to  sign  the  will  as  a 
witness,  and  then  made  to  believe  she  was  thereby  in  law 
as  guilty  as  those  whose  plans  she  had  happened  to  dis- 
cover. But,  soon  after  Eleanor's  disappearance,  Adeline 
herself  had  quietly  arranged  to  leave  Jared  Bailey's  family, 
ostensibly  to  learn  the  trade  of  a  dress-maker,  but  her 
reasons  for  learning  the  trade  itself  were  the  private 
reasons  why  she  left  her  adopted  home.  The  fate  of 
poor  Eleanor  for  having  uttered  so  much  of  the  truth  as 
to  turn  Jared  Bailey  and  his  wife  into  merciless  enemies, 
warned  Adeline  not  to  appear  on  unfriendly  terms  with 
them.  Hence  it  was  that  she  received  the  aid  she  did 
from  Jared  Bailey  and  his  wife. 

.In  consideration  of  all  the  circumstances  Benjamin,  in 


286 


A    STORY    OP   NIAGARA. 


the  settlement,  allowed  Adeline  the  sum  of  two  thousand 
dollars,  which  it  appeared  to  have  been  the  intention  of 
his  grandfather  to  have  willed  her. 

Of  course  it  was  not  long  after  these  events  when  Ben- 
jamin and  Laura  were  married.  For  a  time  they  lived 
in  the  old  home  near  Fallington.  But  it  was  scarcely 
one  year  before  Mrs.  Benjamin  Bailey  had  the  satisfac- 
tion to  receive  their  many  friends,  both  from  the  village 
and  the  country,  in  a  splendid  mansion  which  Benjamin 
erected  near  his  old  homestead. 

About  this  time  Dinah's  step-father,  the  old  fish-peddler, 
died,  and  Dinah's  mother  then  went  to  live  with  Laura 
as  a  servant  Occasionally  poor  old  Tom — whom  the 
reader  will  remember  in  the  front  yard  denouncing  Judge 
Baixey  and  extolling  Benjamin  as  "de  finest  young  man 
he  obber  seed" — spent  an  evening  talking  with  Dinah's 
mother  about  "de  hard  ole  times  in  slavery,"  and  often 
his  eyes  would  grow  dim  with  tears  in  recalling  to  mind 
"little  Tilly,"  "aunt  Polly,"  and  years  agone. 

Matilda,  Benjamin's  sister,  at  the  time  of  closing  this 
book,  was  not  man-ied,  but  it  was  expected  that  she  would 
be  soon,  to  a  son  of  Hon.  Mr.  Baldwin ;  for  Mrs.  Bailey, 
Matilda's  mother,  had  been  heard  to  say : 

"  Mefey  on  me !  I  hope  young  Baldwin  and  Matilda 
won't  have  any  such  trouble  about  courtin'  as  Benjamin 
and  Laura  had  to  have ! "  And  then  she  had  repeated 
her  exclamation  declaring  Benjamin's  wife  to  be  the  best 
hearted  person  that  they  had  ever  known  "  for  such  a 
handsome  woman  1 " 

Poor  Col.  Le  Grange!  his  fate  was  a  siid  one.     He 


A    STORY    OF    NIAGARA. 


287 


went  into  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  fought  reckless  of 
his  own  life — which  induced  his  commander  to  report  as 
"great  gallantry" — in  the  battles  of  the  Wilderness,  and 
was  finally  at  the  taking  of  Richmond  and  the  surrender 
of  Gen.  Lee  to  Gen.  Grant.  As  he  had  said  in  his  letter 
to  Miss  Laura  Sommers,  that  he  would  do,  so  he  had 
sought  "the  front  of  battle  to  Li}'^  down  his  life,"  etc. 
But  fate  failing  to  accept  the  sacrifice,  he  returned  home, 
fell  into  despondency,  and  finally  became  a  monomaniac, 
and  seemed  to  court  exposure  and  danger  by  constantly 
venturing  along  the  banks  of  Niagara,  as  if  in  search  of 
something,  he  knew  not  what. 

Finally,  on  the  Canada  side  of  the  Niagara  Whirlpool, 
in  one  of  the  colonel's  wild  ramblings,  he  selected  a  spot 
beneath  the  overhanging  rocks  of  the  high,  precipitous 
bank,  and  there  building  himself  what  is  now  pointed 
out  to  visitors  as  the  Hermit's  House  in  the  Cave,  he 
spent  the  rest  of  his  days.  For  nearly  two  years  he  lived 
tb'^re  a  crazy  recluse,  seldom  speaking  to  any  one,  except 
to  inform  them  that  he  "wanted  no  spies  around  these 
head-quarters  of  the  Potomac ! "  For  hours  together, 
with  none  but  a  faithful  dog  for  his  company,,  he  would 
sit,  playing  an  old  violin,  at  the  same  time  gazing  on  the 
singular,  circuitous  movement  of  the  water  at  that  roman- 
tic place  in  the  Niagara  River — which  the  visitor  now 
approaches  by  a  winding  stairway. 

At  last  he  obtained  a  small  row-boat,  and,  conceiving 
the  idea  of  risking  himself  and  dog  in  boat-rides  close 
along  the  Whirlpool  shore,  he  was  one  day  carried  into 
the  terrible  vortex. 


288 


A   STOIIY    OF  NIAGARA. 


Guides  will  continue  to  point  out  to  the  traveler  tlic 
place  of  the  hermit's  descent  down  the  hunk,  and  the 
relics  of  his  home  in  the  cave.     Poor  Col.  Le  Grange ! 

But  we  have  one  more  incident  to  record. 

At  Benjamin  Bailey's  old  homestead,  not  long  after  his 
marriage,  he  one  day  brought  a  small  package  into  the 
house  for  his  wife,  which  he  informed  her  he  had  just 
received  by  express  from  Niagara  Falls. 

"  O,  it  is  soaie  j^rcsent  from  home ;  I  know  it  is ! "  said 
Laura,  with  a  cheerful  smile,  as  she  thought  of  her  ever- 
thoughtful  parents. 

"No,  mv  dear,  I  shall  claim  this  as  a  special  present 
for  you  from  myself" — and  then  he  added  with  a  smile 
and  manner  as  if  the  package  contained  some  mysterious 
surprise — "and  I  am  sure  that  you  will  be  delighted  with 
it  for  it  is  just  what  you  wanted  sometime  ago !  And 
then,  too,  it  will  be  such  an  interesting  souvenir  of 
Niagara  1  I  think  a  great  deal  of  it,  and  I  know  you 
will,  too." 

"  Do,  please,  open  the  package,  my  dear,  I  am  so  eager 
to  see  what  kind  of  a  present  you  have  ordered." 

"O,  I  know  it  will  suit  you;  it's  just  your  taste;  I 
don't  think  anybody  on  the  frontier  could  choose  a  nicer 
piece  of  merino  in  Canada ! " 

"  Why !  Benjamin,  what  makes  you  smile  so  queerly 
about  it  ?     Where  was  it  bought  ?  " 

He  was  now  removing  the  wrapper,  and  his  smile  had 
increased  to  a  laugh  as  he  said : 

"  I  bought  this  at  an  auction,  Laura !  I  might  have 
sent  for  it  before  this,  but  somehow  I  left  it  with  a  friend, 
on  the  frontier,  there,  awhile,  by  name  of  Mr.  Dobbins !" 


A   STORY   OF   NIAGARA. 


289 


n  so  eager 


The  package  was  now  open,  and  Laura  joined  in  the 
laugh,  as  she  recognized  her  Canada  dress  pattern — and 
the  mijsterious  bidder  I 

"  Why,  Benjamin  I  0,  mother  Bailey !  just  look  here  I 
I'm  surprised  out  of  my  senses  I "  said  Laura. 

But  when  mother  Bailey  had  looked  at  the  goods  and 
felt  the  fineness  of  its  texture,  she  said  in  a  lower  tone 
than  usual : 

"  Why,  mercy  on  me,  darling !  It's  only  some  merino 
dress  goods ! " 

"  Yes,  mother,"  said  Laura,  as  she  and  Benjamin  both 
laughed  till  mother  Bailey  was  astonished.  "  Yes,  mother, 
but  it  is  a  dress  pattern  that  I  tried  to  smuggle  out  of 
Canada  across  the  suspension  bridge ! " 

"Mercy  on  me!  Laura,"  said  Mrs.  Bailey,  "does  every- 
body smuggle  at  Niagara  Falls? " 

THE  END — TILL  MY  NEXT  VOLUME. 


13 


Hi 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  CUSTOM-HOUSE  OFFICER. 


CHAPTER   I. 

CuMtom-houHO  Regulations  at  the  Niagara  SuBpcnslon  Bridge— Strangers  crossing 
the  Bridge  unmindful  of  Custom-house  Laws— The  Consequences— Amusing  Inci- 
dents—A Senator— Duties  on  Indian  Bead  Work,  etc.— Blaming  GeneniU  Scott- 
Inspecting  a  Strange  Wagon  by  Lamplight  —  Affecting  Incident  — How  Custom- 
house Officers  are  sometimes  deceived. 


Reaching  across  the  chasm  of  the  Niagara  River,  two 
miles  below  the  great  cataract,  is  one  of  the  most  noted 
as  well  as  most  beautiful  bridges  in  the  world.  It  was 
built  by  a  company  of  American^j  and  Canadians,  and  is 
the  first  suspension  railroad  bridge  ever  constructed.  Its 
ingenious  workmanship  was  constructed  under  the  direc- 
tion of  John  A.  Roebling,  a  German  engineer,  and  was 
completed  in  1855,  having  been  three  years  in  building, 
and  costing  half  a  million  dollars.  It  is  a  single  span, 
eight  hundred  feet  in  length,  twenty-four  feet  in  width, 
and  supported  by  four  immense  wire  cables  hanging  over 
stone  towers.  The  most  heavily  loaded  railroad  trains 
cross  upon  its  upper  floor,  and  carriages  and  footmen  on 
a  floor  beneath.  Deep  down  in  the  chasm,  two  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  below,  rushes  the  mighty  rapids  of  Niagara  I 
The  boundary  line  between  the  Dominion  of  Canada  and 


292 


REMINISCENCES    OF 


the  United  States  is  along  tlie  center  of  the  deepest  part 
of  the  river ;  hence  the  west  end  or  half  of  the  bridge  is 
in  British  territory-,  and  the  east  half  in  the  United  States. 
Large  amounts  o  freight  pass  here  as  traffic  between  the 
two  countries ;  and  still  larger  amounts  pass  over  this 
bridge  and  through  a  portion  of  Canada  as  traffic  between 
New  York  and  Chicago.  Here  at  the  crossing  of  this 
chasm,  the  United  States  constructed  buildings  for  a  cus- 
tom house,  and  a  number  of  officials  were  required  for 
duty  An  account  of  some  of  the  incidents  at  this  point 
which  came  under  my  own  observation  while  a  custom- 
house official,  a  portion  of  the  time  between  1860  .ind 
1870,  will  be  interesting  and  amusing,  as  well  as  bring 
out  some  desirable  information  respecting  custom-house 
regulations — strangers  at  Niagara — and  life  on  the  Niag- 
ara frontier. 

From  May  until  November  the  large  hotels  at  the 
Falls  of  Niagara  were  open  to  receive  the  thousands  who 
came  to  visit  this  romantic  locality.  Here,  tlien,  was  fash- 
ion, beauty,  wealth,  aristocracy — and  ail  the  varieties  of 
travel  which  the  scenery  here  annually  brought  together. 
Of  these  visitors  almost  entirely  were  the  passengers  who, 
in  more  than  a  hundred  splendid  hacks  daily  crossed  the 
suspension  bridge,  and  proceeded  to  the  various  points  of 
interest  upon  the  Canadian  bank  of  the  river,  and  after  a 
few  hours  returned  to  the  American  side ;  when,  accord- 
ing to  the  custom  of  all  nations,  they  were  required  to 
satisfy  the  custom-house  officer  that  they  were  not  smug- 
gling any  goods  into  the  United  States.  It  was  not  the 
duty  of  a  custom-house  officer,  in  every  instance  to  in- 


il 


A    CUSTOM-HOUSE    OFFICER. 


293 


:'t 


)cst  part 
bridge  is 
id  States, 
ween  the 
3ver  this 
;  between 
cf  of  this 
for  a  cus- 
[uired  for 
this  point 
a  custom- 
1860  and 
.  as  "bring 
tom-house 
the  Niag- 

lels  at  the 
Isands  who 
,,  was  fash- 
arieties  of 
it  together, 
igers  who, 
jrossed  the 
points  of 
^nd  after  a 
|en,  accord- 
•eqnired  to 
not  smug- 
as  not  the 
,nce  to  in- 


spect the  vehicles  of  persons  who  were  accustomed  to 
cross  the  bridge.  We  had  become  acquainted  with  the 
business  of  nearly  all,  for  miles  on  either  side  of  the 
river,  who  were  in  the  habit  of  crossing  the  bridge  with 
their  teams,  and  knowing  the  persons,  and  that  they 
themselves  knew  the  penalties  for  smuggling,  an  occa- 
sional inspection  of  their  vehicles  was  sufficient.  By 
law  the  penalties  for  smuggling  were  imprisonment,  fines 
and  confiscation  of  the  property  smuggled,  and  also 
the  loss  of  the  team  and  vehicle,  or  vessel  or  boat  in 
wh^'cli  the  goods  were  smuggled.  Even  in  cases  where 
the  property  brought  into  the  country  was  intended  to  be 
returned  in  a  few  hours,  the  person  was  liable  to  forfeit 
the  goods  unless  the  same  were  properly  reported  to  the 
custom  house. 

When  visitors  of  Niagara  Falls  had  made  any  pur- 
chases upon  the  Canada  side — even  though  the  articles 
were  only  presents  to  take  home  from  the  Falls — they 
were  required  to  report  them.  The  drivers  and  owners 
of  the  hacks  were  also  liable  if  the  same  were  not 
reported.  When  no  purchases  were  made  the  drivers,  as 
they  passed  my  office,  cried  out:  ^^ Nothing  aboard^  sir / " 
And,  excepting  when  I  thought  best  to  examine  the 
matter  further,  I  usually  replied :  "J.Z^  right,  sir."  By 
this  it  was  understood  that  there  was  no  baggage  on 
board  for  inspection,  and  no  dutiable  articles,  and  that  I 
recognized  the  vehicle  and  team  as  belonging  to  parties 
upon  the  American  side,  or,  to  persons  wdio  would  soon 
return  the  same  to  Canada. 

It  w^as  a  requirement,  however,  of  the  custom-house 


294 


REMINISCENCES    OP 


department,  tluat  proper  judgment  should  be  used  in  all 
discretionary  matters.  All  baggage  and  goods  were  to 
be  inspected ;  und  if  the  officer  had  any  grounds  to  sus- 
pect any  person  had  smuggled  goods  concealed  upon  their 
persons,  he  could,  by  law,  require  them  to  be  examined ; 
and  for  this  purpose  women  were  frequently  required  to 
report  to  a  lady  officer. 

The  laws  relating  to  customs  in  the  United  States,  as 
well  as  in  some  other  countries,  were  numerous  and  com- 
plicated ;  so  that  many  of  the  best  informed  people  who 
came  to  visit  the  wonders  at  Niagara  Falls,  were  often 
surprised  to  find  that  they  had  lain  themselves  liable  to 
unexpected  expenses  and  delays,  which,  hai  they  read 
these  reminiscences,  they  would  have  avoided. 

The  driver  of  a  fine  hack  returning  from  the  Canada 
side  once  halted  his  valuable  establishment  before  my 
office  to  allow  the  stranger  in  his  carriage  to  make  a 
report  of  some  Canadian  purchases. 

"  Drive  on,  sir,"  said  the  statesmanly  looking  passenger. 

"  I  suppose,"  said  I  to  the  dignified  looking  gentleman, 
"  that  your  driver  fears  to  pass  the  custom  house,  if  he  or 
his  passenger  has  any  dutiable  articles  in  his  carriage." 

" 0,  you  are  an  officer  of  customs?" 

"  Yes,  riir.  Endeavoring  to  collect  what  is  legal,  to  aid 
in  paying  our  national  debt ! "  said  I. 

"  Glad  to  find  you  are  so  loyal,  sir ;  but  I  have  only  a 
few  Indian  curiosities  and  lome  '  Table  Kock  specimens ' — 
just  to  take  home  from  Niagara  Falls — only  about  thirty 
dollars  worth." 

"  Fifty  per  cent,  duties,  sir,  on  the  Indian  bead  work, 


A    CUSTOM-HOUSE    OFFICER. 


295 


ccl  in  all 
were  to 
s  to  sus- 
)07i  their 
amined ; 
)[uired  to 

States,  as 
md  com- 
ople  who 
ere  often 
liable  to 
hey  read 

le  Canada 
lefore  my 
)  make  a 

passenger, 
entleman, 
if  he  or 
riage. 

jal,  to  aid 

ve  only  a 
imens ' 
out  thirty 

[jad  work, 


and  thirty-five  per  cent,  on  the  little,  ornamental,  bark 
baskets,"  I  informed  him. 

" Is  it  possible? "  said  he,  with  a  smila  "I  wonder  if 
I  ever  aided  in  making  that  law  ?  " 

When  he  had  paid  the  duties  and  had  signed  his  name, 
James  Lane,  to  the  oath  upon  the  entry  papers,  I  remem- 
bered that  I  had  seen  him  once  in  Washington,  and  the 
next  moment  I  knew  that  it  was  senator  Lane  of  Kansas. 

I  have  seen  a  carriage  load  of  fashionable  and  richly 
dressed  ladies  pretend,  with  mechanical  stares,  great 
indignation  or  surprise,  that  their  extravagant  outfit  of 
dry  goods  and  millinery,  waterfalls  and  jewelry,  should 
be  held  in  such  cheap  account  that  the  driver  could 
boldly  report  ^'■Nothing  aboard  T^  to  an  admiring  official, 
who  would  then  reply  to  the  professor  of  hacks,  '■^All 
right^''  as  if  he  believed  it 

This  common  report,  "nothing  aboard,"  was  frequently 
made  the  text  for  joking  comments  by  carriage  loads  of 
health,  wealth,  comfort  and  pleasure ;  but  to  me  it  was 
often  the  source  of  suggesting  a  strange  variety  of  reflec- 
tions. The  rich  man  passes  with  fine  linen  and  costly 
clothing,  with  bonds  and  greenbacks,  and  perhaps  a  box 
of  cigars  and  a  bottle  of  brandy  as  a  part  of  his  traveling 
luxuries;  and  all  this  is  reported  '■'■nothing  aboard /^^ 
And  now  comes  a  poor  man,  with  a  bundle  of  old  clothes, 
and  perhaps  a  piece  of  new  but  coarse  cloth — enough  for 
coat  and  pants — which  he  thought  he  could  afford,  be- 
cause a  little  cheaper  in  Canada,  and  this  he  must  not 
report  as  ^^  nothing  aboard,^^  and  finds  the  duty  fifty  cents 
a  pound  and  thirty-live  per  cent  ad  valorem  ! 


II 


296 


REMINISCENCES    OF 


One  dark  and  rainy  evening  in  1806,  there  came  from 
the  Canada  side  into  the  United  States,  across  tliis  great, 
international  bridge,  a  young  woman  aiid  a  little  lad,  in 
an  old,  rickety  wagon,  drawn  by  an  aged  horse,  wliose 
comfortable  days  seemed  long  gone  past.  The  gate- 
keeper called  out  for  their  ticket,  which  passengers  pur- 
chased at  either  end  of  the  bridge  before  entering  upon 
it,  and  the  girl  gave  up  the  ticket  as  they  halted. 

It  was  next  my  duty,  as  an  officer  of  customs,  to  deter- 
mine if  this  horse  and  wagon,  or  other  property,  if  any, 
were  liable  to  duty.  For  they  must  pay  duty  upon  their 
conveyance,  poor  as  it  was,  or  poor  as  they  'were  them- 
selves, or  turn  back  to  Canada,  no  matter  how  urgent 
their  business,  unless  they  had  evidence  that  the  property 
belonged  in  the  States,  or  they  could  satisfy  me  that  it 
would  be  soon  returned  to  Canada.  Observing  that  they 
were  about  to  proceed  without  reporting  any  facts  in  the 
case  to  the  office  of  customs,  I  said : 

"  Young  lady,  on  account  of  the  rules  of  the  custom 
house,  I  shall  have  to  inquire  if  your  horse  and  wagon 
belong  in  the  United  States  ?  " 

"We  belong  in  Buffalo,  sir,"  the  girl  Replied,  "and  we 
are  trying  to  get  home  to-night,  sir ;  or,  as  far  as  we  can, 


sir. 


M 


"What!"  thought  I,  "a  young  girl  and  a  small  lad, 
in  an  open  wagon,  going  to  Buffalo  such  a  dismal  night 
as  this,  and  that  city  twenty-four  miles  distant ! " 

"  At  what  place  was  this  horse  and  wagon  taken  into 
Canada  ?  "  I  inquired,  and  when  informed  that  the  prop- 
erty had  been  taken  across  the  Niagara  Eiver  on  the 


A    CUSTOM-HOUSE    OFFICER. 


297 


steam  fcny-boat,  near  BuiTalo,  I  asked  "if  tlicy  liad 
taken  any  export  certificate  from  any  cuiitom-liouse  officer 
so  that  they  could  take  the  property  into  Canada  and 
return  it  to  the  States  free  of  duty  ?  " 

"  No,  sir,  we  didn't  know  any  officers  at  the  ferry,  sir," 
replied  the  girl.  And  then  in  a  tremulous  voice  and  in 
words  that  I  could  not  regard  with  suspicion,  she  added  : 
"We  haven't  done  anybody  any  harm,  sir.  It's  our 
horse  and  wagon,  sir." 

I  then  inquired  if  they  were  acquainted  with  any  one 
near  us  whom  they  would  name,  to  give  me  some  refer- 
ence, so  that  I  might  be  justified  in  case  I  took  the  risk 
of  allowing  them  to  pass. 

"No,  sir,"  replied  the  girl,  "we  are  acquainted  with 
nobody  here,  sir." 

"  Then,"  said  I,  "  I  am  sorry  to  have  to  tell  you  that 
unless  you  can  give  me  some  evidence,  or  at  least  some 
reference,  that  would  justify  me  in  letting  you  proceed 
without  paying  the  duty,  the  custom-house  rules  require 
you  to  go  back  to  the  Canada  side." 

"O,  sir,"  said  she,  bursting  into  tears,  "we  cannot  go 
back  that  way  to-night.  We  live  in  Buffalo.  We  are 
poor  people,  and  we  did  not  know  what  we  had  to  do. 
We  cannot  get  across  the  ferry  at  night  if  we  go  back 
that  way." 

"  It  will  be  morning  before  you  can  reach  the  ferry," 

said  I.     But  she  only  answered  this  by  weejiing.    Though 

I  had  found  a  flaw  in  her  answers,  and  had,  as  an  officer, 

become  generally  sensitive  to  suspicion,  my  feelings  told 

me  that  I  must  let  her  pass.     Innocent  embarrassment 
13* 


298 


It  K  M  I  N  I  S  C  E  N  C  E  S    U  F 


might  easily  be  a  cause  of  an  inconsistent  remark.  Was 
it  among  tlie  possibilities,  tliouglit  I,  that  this  lad  and 
this  girl  had  been  sent  across  from  Canada  with  a  story 
to  deceive  the  custom-house  officer,  and  thus  smuggle 
this  horse  and  wagon  ?  Was  I  to  be  deceived  by  some 
shrewd  trick  of  a  smuggler  ?  Perhaps  I  was  over-suspi- 
cious ;  but  it  was  not  a  pleasant  reflection  among  custom- 
house officials  on  the  Niagara  frontier  to  find  themselves 
occasionally  outwitted  by  smugglers.  Nor  had  I  for- 
gotten the  successful  trick  by  which  a  party  had  once 
smuggled  a  valuable  lot  of  silks  and  laces  across  this 
bridge  before  the  eye  of  one  of  the  strictest  officers,  when 
these  goods  were  concealed  in  a  coffin,  carried  past  him 
in. a  slow,  solemn  hearse,  followed  by  the  smugglers  in 
mourning  I 

Hence  I  was  particular  !  And  in  answer  to  my  ques- 
tions the  girl  in  broken  sentences  told  her  pitiful  story. 
Their  father  had  gone  to  St.  Catharines  in  Canada,  one 
week  before,  and  not  returning  when  expected,  and  his 
family  hearing  that  a  man  had  been  drowned  in  the  Wel- 
land  Canal,  answering  the  decription  of  the  father,  this 
son  and  daughter  had  gone  there  prepared  for  the  worst 
While  the  daughter  spoke  of  her  father  and  sobbed  as  if 
her  heart  would  break,  I  felt  that  her  story  must  be  true. 
But  I  had  not  yet  examined  the  contents  of  the  wagon, 
and  just  at  this  moment  I  saw,  by  the  light  from  the 
bridge  lamp,  that  there  was  a  dark  colored  bundle  in 
their  wagon,  partly  covered  by  straw  which  from  the 
light  shining  but  dimly  upon  it,  I  could  not  clearly  dis- 
cern.    I  took  hold  of  the  dark-colored  object  more  from 


A    CUSTOM-HOUSE    OFFICE  H. 


299 


a  liabit  of  inspecting  than  from  any  suspicion  of  smug- 
gling. I  had  also  been  in  office  long  enough  to  know- 
that  even  an  apparent  omission  of  duty — no  matter  about 
the  combination  of  little  circumstances  which  satisfied 
the  good  sense  of  an  officer — must  have  some  tangible 
explanation, 

To  make  others  see  ourselves  aa  we  do  see  us  1 

So  it  was  partly  this  feeling  of  caution  which  caused 
me  to  lift  up  from  the  bottom  of  the  wagon  what  proved 
to  be  an  article  of  clothing.  At  the  same  time  I  inquired 
what  they  had  aboard. 

The  girl  was  now  too  much  affected  to  reply,  and  I 
was  myself  shocked  by  the  evident  truth  of  the  lad's 
mournful  answer : 

"  It  is  the  coat  which  father  had  on  him  when  he  was 
drowned ! " 

And  indeed  I  ivas  inspecting  the  clothing,  damp  yet,  with 
the  water  which  had  caused  the  dying  struggles  of  their  father. 
Is  it  wonder  that  they  now  sobbed  aloud,  not  well  under- 
standing the  cause  of  such  cruel  suspicion !  for  it  was  no 
covering  of  smuggled  goods  that  in  the  dim  light  I  had 
moved  aside  in  their  w^agon  and  lifted  up  before  them. 
And  as  the  lad  in  broken  accents  told  me  what  it  was, 
and  with  my  hands  and  eyes  upon  it  I  saw  at  a  glance 
how  the  coat  was  ruffled  and  torn  by  the  hooks  with 
which  strangers  had  searched  for  the  dead  body!  I 
dropped  the  garment ;  I  believed  their  story ;  I  let  them 
pass ;  and  as  they  went  I  reflected — they  have  "  nothing 
aboard'^ — but  grief!  That  night  the  body  passed  over 
the  upper  floor  of  the  bridge  by  railroad ;  and  the  coffin 


800 


REMINISCENCES    OF 


passed,  I  liave  no  doubt,  the  suspicious  gaze  of  otlicr 
custom-house  officers. 

As  in  many  other  noted  localities  of  the  world,  so  at 
Niagara  the  traveler  finds  bazaars,  in  which  are  kept  for 
sale  appropriate,  curious  and  interesting  mementoes,  con- 
sisting in  part  of  Indian  curiosities,  geological  specimens, 
stereoscopic  views  of  the  various  points  of  interesting 
scenery  about  the  Falls  and  along  the  Niagara  chasm. 

Beautiful  spec'  ions  of  bead  work,  and  of  bark  work 
curiously  ornamented  with  colored  porcupine  quills,  are 
brought  here  for  sale  not  only  from  Indian  tribes  near 
the  Falls,  but  I  have  seen  some  of  these  articles,  brought 
across  the  bridge  and  reported  to  the  custom  house,  which 
were  made  by  Indian  women  in  tribes  living  in  the  Brit- 
ish possessions  a  thousand  miles  west  of  Niagara. 

The  beautiful  feather  fans,  however,  now  sold  at  Niag- 
ara Falls  and  at  Saratoga  Springs  and  in  the  city  of 
Washington,  wore  first  invented  about  the  year  1840,  by 
Miss  Handcock,  a  lady  of  taste  and  education,  who  at 
the  time  I  am  writing,  still  resides  within  a  few  rods  of 
the  railroad  suspension  bridge,  upon  the  American  side, 
living  in  poverty  and  alone. 

Nearly  all  of  the  bazaars  where  these  mementoes  of 
Niagara  were  kept  for  sale,  were  upon  the  American  side 
of  the  Falls.  There  were,  however,  three  or  four  build- 
ings upon  the  Canada  side  where  Indian  curiosities  and 
other  mementoes  of  this  locality  were  kept  for  sale. 
And  in  the  carriages  which  were  almost  constantly  cross- 
ing to  and  from  the  Canada  side  were  passengers,  who 
purchased  considerable  amounts  of  these  articles.     But 


A    CUSTOM-HOUSE    OFFICER. 


301 


on  being  rcqnircd  to  pay  a  duty  of  thirty-five  to  fifty  per 
cent,  to  the  United  States  custom  house,  they  began  to 
realize  that  they  were  returning  from  a  foreign  country. 
If  the  party  were  in  good  spirits  and  the  oflicer  had  tlic 
tact  to  keep  them  so  while  he  performed  the  unpleasant 
duty  of  searching  their  baggage,  and  requiring  them  to 
report  all  articles  purchased,  the  ladies  sometimes  smil- 
ingly announced  that  they  had  "purchased  a  feather  fan 
to  fan  with ;  or  a  small,  bark  canoe, 

'  To  siiil  the  wide  sens  over,' 

or  an  Indian  baby's  moccasin,  covered  all  ove"  with  pretty 
beads ;  beads  white  and  beads  blue,  and  do  you  really 
believe  the  Tuscarora  Indians  made  it?  The  man  told 
us  so."  By  this  time,  or  more  probably  while  the  other 
lady  was  talking,  another  lady  of  the  party  would  remind 
her  that  they  had  "also  purchased  their  dinners  in  Can- 
ada ! " 


CHAPTER  II. 


Law  ngiiinst  bringing  BotiJcs  of  Liquor  from  Canada  into  the  States— Women  Smug- 
glers—Wit  of  an  Irisli  Waslicr-wonian  cauglit  Smuggling— Tlic  Western  Drover 
and  liis  Tobacco,  in  Three  Acts— The  Angry  Scene— Polite  Kindness— Keconcilia- 
tion. 


Among  those  who  made  short  visits  into  Canada,  across 
the  suspension  bridge,  were  sometimes  citizens  as  well  as 
strangers,  who  were  evidently  not  in  the  habit  of  restrict- 
ing their  use  of  intoxicating  drinks  to 

"A  dthrap  of  the  cr'athur  ev'ry  morn," 


802 


REMINISCENCES    OF 


luid  were  uccustonicd  to  raise  tlicir  8]tirits  up  by  turning 
sjMrits  down.  As  these  persons  passed  the  custom-house 
oflice,  sometimes  tlieir  burlesque  reports,  '■''Notliing  aboard, 
hut  Canada  ivhisJaj,^^  were  manifestly  correct  1 

People  residing  upon  the  frontier,  knew,  generally,  that 
the  United  States  laws  prohibited  the  importation  of 
wliisky  in  quantities  less  than  thirty  gallons ;  and  other 
liquors  also  in  less  than  wholesale  quantities.  There 
were  few  strangers,  however,  who  knew  that  such  a  law 
existed. 

A  bottle  or  two  of  any  kind  of  liquors  coidd  be  legally 
seized,  if  brought  from  the  Canada  side,  even  if  the  })er- 
son  offered  to  pay  duty.  Although  I  do  not  affirm  that 
I  always  seized  such  small  quantities ;  I  did  sometimes 
obey  the  law  to  the  letter ;  especially  when  it  appeared 
that  a  quart  bottle  stowed  away  under  a  vest,  or  in  a  side 
pocket,  was  more  than  the  man  could  carry,  or  an  inten- 
tional disregard  of  custom-house  laws.  I  have  seized  a 
toper's  bottle  of  whisky  from  under  the  ragged  coat  of  a 
little  boy,  hoping  that  the  father  would  never  send  him 
on  such  an  errand  again. 

I  recall  an  instance,  too,  when  I  examined  a  carpet-bag 
of  a  woman  in  which  T  found  a  little  food  and  a  bottle 
of  milk  for  her  children.  But  something  made  me  sus- 
pect that  the  contents  of  the  satchel,  so  willingly  offered 
me  to  examine,  might  be  a  decoy  to  lead  me  from  suspi- 
cion. So  I  conducted  her  to  the  house  of  the  lady  exam- 
iner, near  by.  When  I  returned  to  my  office,  the  toll 
receiver,  who  had  the  name  of  being  strict  and  watchful 
in  his  own  business,  met  me  with  a  hearty  laugh,  and 


I 


A    CUSTOM-HOUSE    OFFICEU. 


'60S 


voluniccrccl  a  very  confident  ^^guess^^  tliat  I  hud  ejiu<j;lit 
no  smuggler  that  time.  A  by-stander  also  joined  in  the 
same  opinion,  and  added  that  ollicers  might  as  well  sus- 
pect everybody  else  as  that  woman  1 

I  then  informed  them  of  the  fact  that  the  innocmt 
loolciivj  lady  had  just  been  examined  by  the  inspectress, 
who  found  concealed  among  her  clothing,  a  jug  of 
whisky  !  The  duty  on  whisky  at  this  time  was  two  dol- 
lars per  gallon;  hence  people  who  crossed  the  bridge 
several  times  a  day  could  make  it  profitable  to  smuggle 
even  small  quantities  at  a  time. 

I  once  tried  to  talk  temperance  to  a  washer- woman 
whom  I  detected  smuggling  whisky  in  flat  bottles,  and 
who  was  "half  seas  over,"  but  she  insisted  that  when 
she  had  to  work  so  hard  a  quart  of  whisky  made  her 
stronger  I 

"Stronger I"  said  I,  "I  should  think  not,  you  can 
hardly  walk  straight  now !     It  makes  you  weaker ! " 

"  An'  faith,  now  I  Is  it  that  ye's  sayin'  ?  An'  doesn't 
it  make  my  breath  sthronger?  An'  mus'n't  ye  brathe 
strong  if  ye's  workin'  at  all,  at  all  ?  " 

"But  it  will  kill  you  to  drink  so  much  whisky,"  I 
replied. 

"An'  if  it  does,  then  I  shan't  have  to  kill  meself  a 
workin'  to  get  me  livin'I  Ye  see  I  ain't  much  valye 
meself,  any  way." 

"But,  madam,  it  is  against  the  law  for  any  one  to 
bring  whisky  from  Canada  in  this  way,  as  I've  told  you 
before  this ! " 

"  An'  sure  it's  not  that,  now,  you'll  make  me  be  afther 


804 


REMINISCENCES    OF 


bclaviu' !  fur  liasn't  mcsclf  llic  riglit  to  hriii^  mo  own 
clotliing,  and  whatever  is  in  me  own  pocket,  for  me  own 
use,  without  bein'  stopped  ])y  a  daeent  man  like  yourself, 
now  f 

"  Well,  madam,  I  have  taken  you  to  the  lady  examiner 
and  found  you  smuggling  bottles  of  whisky  too  many 
times  to  overlook  it  much  longer." 

"  Jndade  it's  your  own  fault  that  you  have  found  it  I 
an'  it's  no  counthry  at  all,  at  all,  if  we  haven't  the  liberty 
of  our  own  pockets  !  " 

Where  admonition  was  disregarded  a  few  seizures  in 
such  cases  was  generally  an  ell'ectual  discouragement 

One  pleasant  morning  a  drover  came  across  the  bridge 
on  foot,  carrying  a  well-filled  traveling-bag,  and  was  pro- 
ceeding to  pass  the  custom-house  office  without  reporting 
whether  his  baggage  contained  dutiable  goods,  when  I 
informed  him,  as  politely  as  I  could,  that  it  was  a  rule  of 
the  custom  house  to  inspect  baggage  passing  here.  He 
turned  with  an  angry  reply  : 

"  What's  the  use  of  bothering  us  every  time  we  come 
through  here,  to  open  our  traveling-bags  ?  You  know  well 
enough  we  never  have  anything  but  our  clothing! " 

"I  have  no  doubt,  sir,"  I  replied,  "that  you  are  as 
honest  as  any  stranger  that  passes  my  office ;  and  though 
I  may  believe  that  no  stranger's  baggage  contains  smug- 
gled goods,  the  government  requires  me  to  know  it  by 
actual  inspection." 

"  Well,  I  guess ! "  retorted  the  angry  man,  "  I  rather 
guess  my  word  is  good,  and  when  I  tell  you  I  have  noth- 
ing dutiable,  that's  enough/'^ 


A    C  U  S  T  O  M  -  ir  O  IT  S  E   O  F  F  I  C  K  II. 


805 


"I  have  no  reason  to  doubt  your  word,  sir." 

"Then  wliy  don't  j'ou  taht  it,  sir?" 

"  Sinij>ly  because  it  is  my  duty  not  to  do  so.  I  sec  no 
moi'c  reason  to  pass  your  ba^'ga^e  without  k'nowinrj  wliat 
is  in  it  tlian  to  pass  that  of  other  strangers.  You  will 
have  to  open  your  baggage,  sir  I  " 

The  enraged  drover  tlicn  set  down  liis  traveling-bag, 
and  threw  a  bunch  of  keys  upon  the  floor,  swearing  that 
if  I  was  so  particular  as  that  I  should  open  !>  myself,  for 
lie  wouldnl/^' 

"Stranger,"  said  I,  forcing  a  smile,  "I  have  plenty  of 
time  this  morning,  but  is  it  extremely  polite,  sir,  for  a 
man  of  3'our  evident  good  sense  to  throw  your  keys  upon 
the  floor  and  expect  me  to  pick  them  up,  and  then  waste 
time  to  pick  out  the  right  key  ?  "  The  drover  seemed 
scarcely  more  annoyed  than  surprised  at  the  numner  I 
assumed  ;  but  he  rci)lied  : 

"Well,  if  youarn't  going  to  examine  my  traveling-bag 
I  shall  take  it  and  go  on !  " 

"  My  friend,"  said  I,  looking  him  earnestly  in  the  eye, 
"  I  have  come  across  a  great  many  kinds  of  people  while 
here  in  the  custom  house,  and  I  can  generally  manage  to 
do  everything  pleasantly.  And  I  do  not  intend  to  bo 
drawn  into  a  quarrel.  Your  baggage,  however,  will  be 
detained  here  till  you  pick  up  your  keys  and  open  it  1" 

"  You  have  no  right  to  bother  me  about  my  baggage 
at  all ;  for  all  there  is  in  it  came  from  Detroit,  and  I 
haven't  stopped  in  Canada  nor  bought  anything  there." 

To  this  I  said  nothing.  He  hesitated  a  moment,  and 
then   picked  up  the  keys   and   proceeded  to  open   his 


30G 


REMINISCENCES    OF 


traveling-bag ;  and,  to  swear  that  I  was  no  gentleman  for 
doubting  liis  word;  that  he  would  report  me  as  an 
unreasonable  officer  if  he  could  find  out  where  to  do  so ! 

By  this  time  he  had  oj^ened  his  baggage,  and  on  exam- 
ining it  I  found  a  quantity  of  tobacco — not  so  much  that 
I  need  to  have  seized  it — and  yet  enough  considering  his 
disregard  of  duty  in  not  reporting  it,  to  have  justified 
me  in  seizing  it     So  I  said : 

"  Stranger,  if  I  were  disposed  to  do  so  the  course  you 
have  taken  in  neglecting  to  report  this  tobacco,  would 
justify  me  in  seizing  it.  no  matter  where  you  bought  it; 
but  I  have  so  much  pity  for  your  ungovernable  temper 
and  your  evident  ignorance  of  custom-house  laws,  that  I 
shall  permit  you  to  go,  and  I  will  pass  the  tobacco  just 
the  same  as  I  might  have  done  had  you  treated  me 
politely ;  and  I  do  not  even  expect  your  thanks  for  doing 
you  the  favor  which  is  in  my  discretion." 

My  utter  astonishment  was  completed  when,  without 
seeming  to  notice  what  I  had  said,  he  asked  "2/  /  didn't 
intend  to  pack  his  baggage  as  nicely  as  I  found  it?  Kase," 
said  he  with  an  oath  and  a  curse,  "you've  disarranged  it" 

The  idea  of  my  having  disarranged  a  pair  of  old  pants 
and  a  dirty  shirt,  etc.,  which  I  had  found  crammed  into 
a  traveling-bag  to  hide  his  tobacco,  was  so  ridiculous 
that  I  smiled  as  I  replied : 

"No,  sir!" 

But  he  seemed  to  preserve  a  remarkable  evenness  of 
temper  as  he  started  off,  swearing  that  I  had  detained 
him  when  he  was  in  a  hurry !  and  hadn't  believed  him 
like  a  gentleman,  when  he  had  told  me  he  wasn't  bringing 


A    CUSTOM-HOUSE    OFFICE  II. 


307 


nan  for 
as  an 
)  do  so  I 
1  exam- 
icli  that 
iring  his 
justified 


irse  you 
3,  would 
)ught  it ; 
)  temper 
?s,  that  I 
icco  just 
sated  me 
for  doing 

,  without 
'  I  didn't 
Kase," 
mged  it." 
old  pants 
med  into 
idiculous 


enncss  of 
detained 

3ved  him 
bringing 


things  out  of  Canada !  and  tliat  I  had  treated  liim  like  a 
thief  I  and  that  I  ought  to  be  reported  to  Washington  or 
some  place,  he  wished  to  God  he  knew  where  1 

I  considered,  at  the  time,  that  I  had  lost  that  battle ; 
it  seemed  I  had  not  even  gained  a  moral  advantage.  lie 
had  completely  driven  me  fium  the  field  of  discussion — 
had  abused  me  before  and  after  I  had  granted  him  a 
favor,  and,  in  all  probability,  would  boast  of  out-witting 
me  with  his  Canada  tobacco,  and  exaggerate  the  quantity 
in  order  to  make  out  some  charge  against  me  in  the  neg- 
lect of  duty  as  an  officer  I 

I  tried  to  think  of  some  passage  in  the  Scripture,  from 
which  I  could  derive  consolation ;  but  memory  only  up- 
braided me  with  the  passage  in  Proverbs,  which  advises 
us  to  "answer  a  fool  according  to  his  folly."  And  then 
I  regretted  that  I  had  not  tried  some  profound  explana- 
tion like  Sambo's,  when  he  explained  to  a  colored  indi- 
vidual, why  "  de  moon  ware  ob  more  immense  importance 
dan  de  sun;  kase,"  said  he,  "de  moon  gib  light  in  de 
night  time  when  we  need  light,  but  de  sun  only  in  de  day 
time,  when  we  donH  need  none  !  "  For  ludicrous  sophistry 
is  more  potent  with  some  people  than  fairness  and  good 
sense. 

But  this  incident  of  the  drover  who  had  that  morning 
no  doubt  taken  a  dose  of  Canada  whisky,  has  a  sequel. 

A  few  months  after  I  had  written  the  account  of  the 
above  incident,  which  I  wrote  soon  after  it  occurred,  I 
got  on  board  a  train  of  cars  in  company  with  my  wife. 
The  car  was  being  crowded  with  passengers.  Observing 
two  seats  near  each  other,  occupied  by  only  one  gentle- 


308 


REMINISCENCES    OF 


man  cacli,  I  asked  one  of  tlic  men  if  he  would  be  so 
kind  as  to  take  a  seat  with  the  other  gentleman,  so  that 
myself  and  lady  could  have  a  seat  together.  lie  coolly 
replied : 

"  I  presume,  sir,  that  you  can  find  a  seat  in  the  next 


J) 


car! 

Just  at  this  moment  a  rough  looking  man,  a  half  dozen 
seats  in  front  cf  us,  arose  and  said  to  us : 

"  Here  is  a  s^eat  the  gentleman  and  lady  can  have,  and 
I'll  find  another  for  myself  somewhere." 

We  took  the  seat,  thanked  him  for  his  kindness,  and 
he  found  another.  I  remarked  to  my  wife  that  that 
stranger  had  a  good  heart  in  his  jacket,  if  he  did  look  a 
little  rough  externally.  The  circumstance,  however,  was 
soon  forgotten,  or  stowed  away  in  the  rubbish  of  mem- 
ory, where  human  foresight  sees  not,  whether  it  will  ever 
be  called  up  again. 

A  few  weeks  passed.  I  was  again  in  my  office.  A 
drover  having  crossed  from  the  Canada  side  called  at  my 
office  door,  and  reported  his  traveling-bag  for  inspection. 
He  proceeded  to  open  it,  as  if  he  had  passed  an  office  of 
customs  before.  After  a  moment  or  two,  I  had  a  faint 
impression  that  I  had  seen  this  stranger  before.  A.  few 
words  in  a  friendly  way  passed  between  us.  At  last,  as 
the  recognition  flashed  upon  me,  I  said : 

"My  friend,  are  you  not  the  man  whose  tobacco  I 
passed,  about  six  months  ago?"  When  I  made  this 
inquiry  I  had  not  the  faintest  idea  that  he  and  I  had 
ever  met  before  or  since  the  tobacco  affiair.  But  imagine 
my  surprise  when  he  replied : 


A    CUSTOM-HOUSE    OFFICER. 


309 


"Yes,  sir,  and  I  am  tlie  man  who  gave  you  and  your 
lady  a  seat  in  the  cars  the  other  day ! " 

He  said  this  in  a  manner  so  friendly  of  the  two  inci- 
dents, so  strangely  contrasted,  that  I  cannot  describe  the 
effect  which  it  had  upon  my  feelings !  I  remembered  the 
scene  with  the  drover  and  his  tobacco  only  as  plainly 
now,  as  I  did  the  incident  of  his  kindness  in  the  cars.  I 
took  him  by  the  hand,  and  we  were  immediately  friends. 
And,  w^hen  at  last  he  left  my  office,  he  did  not  swear  that 
he  "  would,  report  me  to  some  place,  he  wished  to  God  he 
knew  where ! "  but  he  did  urge  me,  if  ever  I  came  West, 
to  come  and  spend  a  week  in  his  prairie  home.  With 
pleasure  I  assured  him  that  I  should  be  glad  to  do  so. 

The  victory  was  won;  the  manner  in  which  I  had 
treated  his  hasty  and  passionate  coui*se  in  our  first  inter- 
view, gave  me  a  friend,  when  an  angry  course  on  my  part 
would  have  given  me  an  enemy. 

After  the  above  incident,  I  saw  more  than  ever  before, 
the  wisdom  and  beauty  of  that  Scripture  injunction, 
^^  charity  r^  And  that  they  who  can  govern  themselves 
best,  can  after  all,  govern  others  most.  Forbearance  and 
kindness  towards  others  in  the  wrong,  when  we  are  in 
the  right,  is  not  cowardice,  but  moral  bravery  and  power 
to  reason  rightly.  It  stands  above  considerations  of  petty 
selfishness,  and  is  high  philosophy,  as  well  as  the  truest 
Christianity. 


310 


REMINISCENCES    OF 


CHAPTER  III. 


Appearances  often  Deceiving— The  Beggar's  Bundle— Tlie  "Intelligent  Gentleman" 
— "ARcliablo  Source  "—A  Little  Rellection— Tlio  Sulphur  Springs — Suspension 
Bridge  Tolls— A  Midnight  Office— The  Devil  and  his  Wife. 

While  in  my  office  one  day,  there  came  across  the 
bridge  a  stranger,  whose  whole  appearance  indicated  pov- 
erty. The  pack  which  he  carried  looked  like  poverty's 
bundle  I  Such  instances  had  been  frequent.  I  had  often 
permitted  them  to  pass  with  a  slight  scrutiny.  In  this 
case  I  saw  fit  to  have  the  man  show  me  what  his  burden 
did  really  consist  of.  As  I  had  expected,  I  found  noth- 
ing smuggled.  The  toll  receiver  smiled  as  he  saw  me 
inspect  the  bundle  of  this  man,  so  apparently  a  pauper ; 
and  he  also  informed  me  that  "of  course  the  man  could 
have  nothing  dutiable  for  he  had  crossed  the  bridge  by 
begging  a  free  passage ! "  An  intelligent  and  influential 
gentleman  who  happened  to  be  in  the  ticket  office  saw 
me  put  this  poor  man  to  the  trouble  of  showing  what 
was  in  his  bundle — a  trouble  of  ten  seconds.  A  few  min- 
utes before  that  he  had  seen  a  well-dressed  man  pass  my 
office  with  a  well-filled  satchel,  in  the  same  direction,  and 
I  had  simply  looked  at  him,  and  allowed  him  to  pass 
without  an  inquiry;  and  yet  the  latter  was  an  entire 
stranger,  and  I  knew  nothing  of  the  contents  of  his 
satchel. 

In  a  few  days  after  this,  it  was  reported  by  a  politician 
who  desired  my  situation,  that  I  used  no  judgment  in  the 


A    CUSTOM-HOUSE    OFFICER. 


311 


discharge  of  my  duty  as  a  custom-house  oiRcer ;  and  the 
above  circumstances  were  cited  in  proof  of  the  above 
allegation.  A  friend  cnne  and  told  me  that  somebody 
was  finding  fault  about  my  course  as  an  officer ;  but  he 
hoped  that  there  was  no  just  occasion  for  it. 

"Anything  in  particular  complained  of?"  I  inquired. 

"Something  about  your  examining  the  bundle  of  a 
pauper,  last  week,  and  paying  no  attention  to  the  baggage 
of  well-dressed  strangers." 

"  Any  other  case  talked  of?  " 

"  Well,  I've  heard  of  your  putting  some  of  our  influ- 
ential citizens  to  the  trouble  of  opening  their  baggage ! " 

"  How  do  they  tell  the  beggar  story  ?  "  I  inquired. 

My  friend  related  what  the  "intelligent  and  reliable 
gentleman  "  in  the  toll  oflBce  had  noticed.  I  heard  him 
through,  and  then  said:  "Major,  I'm  surpised;  I'm  per- 
fectly astonished  at  the  account  you  have  given  I " 

"  There  1"  said  my  friend,  "I  told  them  that  I  did  not 
believe  you  were  either  so  indiscreet  or  so  careless  in 
your  official  duties." 

"  But  wait.  Major,  you  don't  understand  my  surprisel 
I  am  astonished  only,  to  find  that  the  '  intelligent  and 
reliable  gentleman's '  account  of  what  he  saw  was  so  accu- 
rately told  I " 

"True?    Is  it  true?" 

"Yes,  true!" 

"  Then  in  the  name  of  common  sense  can  you  explain 
it  to  your  advantage  ?  " 

"Easy  enough,  sir.  The  well-dressed  man,  whose 
traveling-bag  I  did  not  examine,  had  not  been  in  Canada 


C^r 


,y^ 


t'f 


812 


REMINISCENCES    OF 


at  all.  I  remembered  liim  as  having  only  a  little  while 
before  gone  on  the  bridge — saw  him  standing  on  the 
bridge  to  look  at  the  falls  and  the  rapids,  and  noticed  he 
did  not  cross  into  Canada.  This  part  the  'intelligent 
gentleman'  had  not  seen.  Now,  as  to  the  pauper.  Do 
you  suppose.  Major,  that  I  can  alford  to  have  smugglers 
find  out  that  every  man  can  pass  me  with  a  bundle,  if 
he  be  only  disguised  as  a  pauper?'' 

The  Major  laughed,  and  changed  the  subject. 

When  he  left  me  I  could  not  suppress  a  few  reflections. 
"Was  it  not  possible,  after  all,  that  an  "  intelligent  gentle- 
man," perhaps,  too,  an  "influential  gentleman,"  or  a 
"  reliable  source^''  sitting  down  a  moment  to  observe  otlier 
people's  business,  might  see  very  simple  facts  which  ho 
couldn't  see  through  ?  And,  as  a  general  rule,  is  it  not 
fair  to  presume  that  there  are  reasons  for  some  things  if 
people's  conclusions  could  only  get  sight  of  them  ?  while 
sometimes  it  is  "la!  me!  why,  Mrs.  Jones  heard  so,  and 
of  course  Nathaniel  was  to  blame ! " 

W^ell,  it's  a  fiict  that  isn't  a  wonder, 
That  people  are  liable  to  blunder ; 
And  hence  the  best  that  any  one  can  do 
Is  just  to  reflect— a  moment  or  two. 

I  am  here  reminded  of  an  amusing  incident  in  the 
school-days  of  Gerrit  Smith,  when  he  once  preferred 
reflection  even  to  explanation. 

A  few  of  the  students  were  in  a  room  at  a  play  or 
game  which  had  been  forbidden.  Suddenly  it  became 
known  that  the  professor  was  coming.  It  was  doubtfid 
whether  the  students  would  have  time  to  escape  at  one 


A    CUSTOM-HOUSE    OFFICER. 


813 


e  "wliilc 

on  the 

ticcd  he 

;elligent 


er. 


Do 

Higglers 
mdlo,  if 


lections, 
t  gentle- 
1,"  or  a 
've  otlicr 
^liicii  lie 
is  it  not 
tilings  if 
\il  wliile 
I  so,  and 


it  in  the 
preferred 

[I  play  or 
became 
louhtful 
^c  at  one 


door  before  the  dreaded  professor  wonld  enter  at  another. 
Gerrit  hid  himself  flat  upon  the  floor  behind  a  bench 
and  under  a  writing-desk.  The  others  barely  managed 
to  escape  from  the  room  before  the  old  professor  entered. 
But  the  man  of  discipline  had  heard  the  confusion ;  and, 
glancing  his  eyes  around  the  room,  he  spied  a  human 
form  under  the  desk;  when,  coolly  addressing  himself 
to  the  object,  he  inquired :  "  Who  is  that  under  the  desk?^^ 
The  individual  under  the  desk,  witliout  the  slightest 
change  of  position,  slowly  and  deliberately  answered : 

"Gerrit  Smith,  sir." 

"What  are  you  doing  there f^'  sternly  demanded  the 
professor. 

To  which  interrogatory,  Gerrit,  with  the  air  of  one  not 
wishing  to  be  disturbed,  reolied : 

"/am  reflecting^  sirf^' 

The  professor  smiled,  and  left  the  room,  remarking 
that  "it  was  well  if  Gerrit  had  been  driven  to  reflection  1 " 

The  duties  on  all  merchandise  prevented  much  inter- 
course between  the  inhabitants  of  the  Canadian  and 
American  sides  of  the  river.  The  toll  received  by  the 
owners  of  the  bridge  for  foot  and  carriage  passengers, 
however,  in  the  summer  season,  averaged  over  one  hun- 
dred dollars  per  day,  besides  forty-five  thousand  dollars 
per  year  paid  by  the  Great  Western  Kailway  Company 
for  their  cars  passing  over  the  upper  story  of  the  bridge. 
The  toll  of  one  hundred  dollars  a  day  was  principally 
received  from  visitors  who  came  to  see  the  falls  and  the 
surrounding  scenery,  taking  their  pleasure  rides  in  car- 
riages to  visit  the  Canada  side  and  to  sec  and  to  cross  this 
14 


8U 


REMINISCENCES    OF 


i 


noted  bridge.     Not  more  tlian  one-fiftli  of  the  amount  of 
tolls  was  received  from  Canadian  travel. 

The  building  for  the  office  of  customs  which  I  occu- 
pied, was  so  situated  that  when  the  toll  office  and  the 
bridge  gates  were  closed,  no  footman  could  pass  to  or 
from  the  bridge  except  by  passing  through  the  customs 
office.  The  gates  were  closed  about  ten  o'clock  in  the 
evening,  aft^r  which  there  was  very  little  crossing.  The 
watchman  of  the  bridge  on  the  Canada  side,  John  or 
Michael,  collected  the  tolls  from  the  few  passengers  which 
passed  during  the  night.  But  the  customs  officer  at  the 
American  end  held  the  United  States  keys  of  the  door  and 
the  gate,  which  made  it  necessary  to  disturb  him  before 
any  one  could  pass  at  that  end  of  the  bridge. 

Such  was  the  locality  of  my  office  building,  situated 
so  close  to  the  roar  of  Niagara,  and  at  the  mouth  of  so 
beautiful  and  wonderful  a  work  of  art ;  and  this  together 
with  the  night  scenery  and  the  straggling  characters  which 
darted  through  my  office,  interrujiting  my  writing  or  my 
slumbers,  created — shall  I  say — occasions  of  surpassmrj 
interest  ! 

For  a  number  of  miles  either  way,  this  was  the  only 
place  of  exit  from  one  country  to  the  other,  for  stragglers, 
thieves  and  robbers,  as  well  as  belated  citizens  and 
strangers. 

In  my  own  house,  when  at  home,  of  course  I  fastened 
the  doors  and  windows  for  night,  as  everybody  does; 
but  what  was  the  use  of  having  such  whimsical  notions, 
or  being  disturbed  by  such  trifling  events,  in  a  room  on 
the  brink  of  such  a  romantic  river,  where  I  had  no  one 


A    CUSTOM-HOUSE    OFFICER. 


815 


nount  of 

li  I  occu- 
aiid  tlie 
[\ss  to  or 
)  customs 
)k  in  the 
ng.  The 
John  or 
ers  which 
cer  at  the 
!  door  and 
im  before 

;,  situated 
uth  of  so 
s  together 
ers  which 
11  g  or  my 
iurpassiiuj 

the  only 
3tragglers, 
Lzcns   and 

I  fastened 
xly  does; 
I  notions, 
a  room  on 
xd  no  one 


to  defend  but  myself?  What  if  four  or  five  robbers  and 
house-breakers,  with  false  keys  and  genuine  pistols  sitould 
demand  the  silver  watch  I  carried  ?  Had  I  not  a  perfect 
right  in  such  case,  as  an  officer,  to  pitch  them  headlong, 
all  five  of  them,  twenty  feet  from  my  office,  over  the 
bank,  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  down  into  the  Niagara 
rapids,  and  gaze  on  them  as  they  were  falling  into  such  a 
river  by  moonlight?  And  then  had  I  not  a  right  to  go 
out  on  the  bridge  free  of  toll  to  wait  for  another  similar 
edition?  or,  to  compose  myself  and  poetry,  under  the 
inspiration  of  such  moonlight  scenery,  and  such  events ! 
Or  had  I  not  the  right  to  start  another  slumber  upon  my 
office  lounge,  with  the  United  States  keys  in  my  pocket, 
while  the  river  and  its  everlasting  serenade  kept  on  ! 

It  is  a  mistake,  if  any  one  think  he  could  not  learn  to 
be  studious  or  occasionally  take  an  hour's  repose,  in  such 
an  office,  on  such  a  river,  with  a  bridge  of  such  "immense 
grace,"  and  with  so  little  to  disturb  or  make  afraid,  and 
so  much  to  make  meditations  and  sleeping  time  inter- 
esting !  In  an  office  so  full  of  incidents  by  day,  and  where 
dreams  were  made  of  little  realities  by  night,  why  could 
not  any  one  stay  there  occasionally  o'nights  to  study  and 
write,  and  serve  their  country,  and  draw  their  pay  ? 

Among  the  specimens  of  criminal-looking  outcasts, 
which  one  could  hardly  fancy  might  be  found  in  prison 
or  out — or  frightened  across  any  frontier — was  a  pair  of 
human  beings,  male  and  female,  who  came  through  my 
office  from  Canada,  two  hours  after  midnight,  in  the 
spring  of  1867.  You  could  not  imagine  a  bad  quality 
nor  any  mixture  of  sin,  poverty  and  ignorance  and  mis- 


/ 


816 


REMINISCENCES    OF 


fortune  "wliicli  had  not,  to  all  appearance,  overtaken  them, 
even  to  the  misfortune  of  the  man  having  found  a  woman 
that  "matched"  him!  Whisky  had  given  them  the 
same  red  eyes,  and  continued  dissipation  the  same  shade 
of  complexion  over  the  same  ground-work  of  tan  and 
exposure.  They  looked  alike,  were  each  of  medium 
size,  and  evidently  had  fought  alike,  and  drank  alike,  for 
I  declare  to  you,  without  exaggeration,  that  the  face  and 
eyes  of  each  appeared  to  be,  as  nearly  as  possible,  marked 
alike  hx  ^>Iows  and  scratches  1  Besides  all  this,  there  was 
an  expression  of  face  which  told  me  more  than  I  could 
repeat  in  words — a  look  of  nothing  good  and  a  mixture 
of  everything  bad ;  all  of  which  corresponded  with  the 
time  and  place  of  their  serious  flight  and  their  sudden 
appearance  before  me.  The  pair,  representing  both  sexes 
as  they  did,  suggested  some  lower  order  of  human  beings, 
or  else  a  return-sample  from  perdition ;  for  the  moment 
they  had  passed  through  my  office,  I  said  to  myself,  with 
a  smile  I  could  not  suppress :  "  There  goes  the  devil  and 
his  wife,  sure  I "  They  were,  evidently,  too  desirous  of 
escaping  from  Canada  to  have  any  present  object  but 
safety  to  themselves. 


A    CUSTOM-HOUSE    OFFICEK. 


317 


CHAPTER  IV. 


but 


Tho  Preacher's  Brandy— Strange  Companions— Mr.  OTUnlgan— Astonishing  Fig- 
ures—The Unfortunate  Widow— Custom-House  Laws— Two  Puzzling  Questions — 
When  are  Household  Goods  und  Tools  of  Trade  flreo  of  duty. 

"  We  have  to  inspect  baggage,  here,  sir,  on  account  of 
customs,"  said  I  to  a  well-dressed  man,  who  walked  by 
my  office  evidently  with  no  thought  of  noticing  custom- 
house regulations. 

"Well,"  he  replied,  "I  am  in  something  of  a  hurry; 
do  you  have  to  require  us  to  open  such  little  things  as  a 
satchel  which  travelers  carry  just  a  change  of  clothing 

'J  M 

m  r 

"  Yes,  sir,  that  is  the  rule  here,  but  we  give  as  little 
trouble  as  possible  in  doing  our  duty." 

He  began  opening  his  satchel,  but  manifested  his  hurry 
in  such  a  polite  and  civil  way,  and  asking  about  the 
departure  of  trains  that  I  felt  reluctant  to  delay  him; 
but  I  had  lost  so  much  faith  in  appearances  that  I  pre- 
ferred positive  evidence  when  convenient.  Whether  his 
hurry  was  genuine,  or  simply  to  give  me  an  opportunity 
to  be  so  obliging  that  I  would  only  examine  the  top  of 
his  traveling-bag  as  he  opened  it,  was  a  question  which 
appearances  did  not  positively  decide.  In  such  a  case 
the  remedy  was  evident — I  must  examine  a  little  below 
the  surface,  which  I  did,  and  felt  a  large  package  half 
filling  the  satchel.     "  What  is  this  ?  "  said  I. 

"  Why,  you  don't  charge  duty  on  just  one  book — a 
Bible — even  if  it  is  a  large,  nice  book,  do  you? " 


818 


REMINISCENCES    OF 


"But  wluit  is  thin,  in  these  two  bottles  below  the  liibli', 
sir?" 

"0,  yes;  I  forgot  to  report  them.  My  family  arc  a 
little  out  of  health ;  and  I  was  told  that  the  Canada 
brandy  is  a  purer  article  than  I  could  find  upon  our  side 
of  the  river.  But  if  there  be  any  duty  to  pay  on  that 
or  the  book  either,  of  course  I'm  willing  to  pay  it" 

"As  to  the  brandy,  sir,  it  is  against  the  law  to  bring  it 
into  the  country,  even  if  you  did  report  it,  except  you 
had  a  full  case  to  pay  duty  on." 

" Possible,  sir?     I  did  not  know  it" 

"  Then  it  seems  a  little  queer  that  you  did  not  report 
these  odd  companions — a  new  Bible  and  two  bottles  of 
brandy — before  T  reached  the  stage  which  I  have  in 
searching  your  baggage." 

"  Keally,  Mr.  Officer,  I  was  not  aware  of  the  impor- 
tance of  my  doing  so.  I  did  not  know  that  nations  took 
notice  of  such  small  matters.  Had  I  known  it,  I  cer- 
tainly would  have  been  more  mindful." 

"  We  are  expected  to  be  very  particular  at  this  point, 
sir,  I  admit ;  but,  from  your  manner,  stranger,  I  presume 
you  intended  nothing  wrong ;  yet,  to  an  officer  of  customs 
here,  where  deception  is  so  variously  attempted,  you  will 
see  that  innocent  circumstances  sometimes  appear  very 
suspicious,  and  sometimes,  as  in  this  case,  a  little  mixed. 
This  Bible,  for  instance — an  expensive  one,  too — indicates 
that  you  are  a  man  of  good  intentions  —  perhaps  a 
preacher,  and  yet  two  bottles  of  brandy,  and  your  neg- 
lecting to  report,  do  tend  to  confuse  the  question  1  and, 
besides,  very  good  people  on  the  frontier  here,  will  smug- 
gle 'for  their  own  use,'  or  some  other  excuse." 


A    CUSTOM-nOUSE    OFFICER 


819 


"Mr.  Oniccr,  this  seems  stmngor  than  it  really  is.  L 
am  a  clergyman,  it  is  true,  hut  other  men  buy  liihles 
also.  And,  as  for  tho  brandy,  why,  wo  arc  all  liable  to 
sickness  I " 

And  now  for  the  particular  information  of  a  certain 
government  oflicer  who  used  to  call  around  as  a  kind  of 
detective  to  watch  other  officers,  and  local  matters  which 
he  did  not,  and  of  course  could  not  understand,  as  well 
as  olTiccrs  living  in  the  locality,  and  consequently  who 
used  to  criticise  the  discretionary  little  acts  which  oHicers 
did  or  did  not  do,  I  will  here  most  positively  state  that 
perhaps  I  passed  that  new  Bible  and  the  bottles !  At 
any  rate  the  preacher  departed  in  due  time  for  the  cars 
and  in  good  humor. 

I  had  scarcely  taken  a  scat  at  my  writing-desk  when  a 
man  whom  I  barely  recognized  as  a  resident  of  the  town 
a})proached  me  with  that  peculiar  privilege  which  some 
men  take.  If  you  were  busy  with  accounts  they  would 
approach  you,  and  leaning  one  hand  ui)on  your  shoulder 
and  the  other  upon  your  desk,  would  go  into  a  low,  con- 
fidential whisper,  as  if  your  time  was  worthless  and  their 
business  a  friendship  to  eat  you  up;  and,  as  if  you  cer- 
tainly must  know  them  because  they  had  seen  you  before. 
If  you  fail  to  recognize  them  they  will  tell  you  who  they 
are,  where  tliey  saw  you,  and  proceed  to  make  your 
acquaintance,  by  telling  that  which  has  no  interest  to  any 
one  but  themselves,  and  when  you  finally  find  out  the 
single  question  they  wanted  to  ask,  you  have  heard  also 
a  history  of  their  grandmother ! 

Well,  the  instant  this  man  approached  me  as  aforesaid, 


820 


REMINISCENCES    OP 


t  '■ 


one  hand  on  my  shoulder,  tlie  other  on  my  desk,  he 
placed  his  face  so  near  my  own  that  his  disagreeable 
breath  forced  me  to  move  backward,  first  simply  moving 
my  head;  but  this  he  did  not  notice,  and  continued  to 
whisper  something  about  "  hams  and  bacon  and  a  little 
whisky  for  his  own  use,"  when  I  made  another  retreating 
move  of  my  face,  which  he  seemed  to  take  as  another 
attitude  for  listening ;  and  his  disagreeable  tobacco  breath 
still  reached  my  olfactories.  By  the  time  he  had  reached 
the  subject  of  duties,  his  breath,  a  slight  mixture  of 
whisky  with  a  strong  scent  of  tobacco,  compelled  me  to 
make  a  third  retreat  by  hitching  my  chair  backward. 
Finally  I  was  driven  to  beg  his  pardon  for  being  obliged 
to  tell  him  to  stand  back  like  a  gentleman  and  tell  me 
what  he  wanted.  My  olfactories  were  too  good  and  my 
politeness  too  little  to  endure  longer  such  a  mixture  of 
whisky,  tobacco  and  impudence. 

The  hints  of  my  retreating  movements  had  made  no 
impression  on  him ;  and  the  severity  of  my  last  rebuke 
was  only  sufficient  to  make  him  stand  up  at  a  proper 
distance  for  conversation.  lie  neither  apologized  nor 
took  offense.  He  did  seem  a  little  "confused,"  but  none 
too  much  "  set  back ! " 

He  continued  to  talk  of  smoked  hams  and  bacon — 
how  he  had  been  "wondering"  for  some  time  if  he 
hadn't  better  come  down  and  see  me,  and  see  if  he 
couldn't  make  some  ^^  arrangemenf  so  I  would  not  charge 
him  so  much  duty;  and  to  see  what  I  knew  about  the 
prices  in  Canada,  and  if  I  didn't  think  it  would  pay  better 
than  to  buy  hams  at  the  groceries  on  our  side  of  the 
river,  etc.,  etc. 


A    CUSTOM-HOUSE    OFFICER. 


321 


"  Is  it  the  duty  on  hams  and  bacon  you  wish  me  to 
inform  you  about,  sir?" 

"  Yes,  sir,  that  is  it,  exactly  !  I  tliought,  your  honor, 
if  I  knew  the  duties  you  would  ax  me  I  could  tell  if  it 
would  be  cheaper  for  me  to  buy  them  on  the  other  side." 

And  without  waiting  for  me  to  tell  him  the  duties,  he 
branched  off  again  about  the  grocerymen  here,  that 
"  wouldn't  trust  a  man  till  Saturday  night !  an'  it's  niver 
a  cint  that  Pat  O'Flinigan  ever  chated  thim  yet,  ather," 
said  he. 

"Mr.  O'Flinigan,  if  you  are  ready  to  hear  it,  sir,  the 
duty  on  smoked  ham  and  bacon  is  two  cents  per  pound, 
and  all  duties  over  five  dollars  are  to  be  paid  in  gold ;  if 
under  five,  they  may  be  paid  in  silver." 

"Yes,  I  see,"  said  Mr.  O'Flinigan,  reflectively,  "but 
may  be  I  shall  not  buy  any.  I  thought  I'd  ax  you  to 
see  about  it.  Couldn't  you  let  me  bring  over  a  small  keg 
of  whisky  and  a  few  hams  without  any  duty  ?  Come, 
now,  and  I  can  give  you  a  dollar  for  your  own  pocket  I " 

"I  guess  you  don't  know  me,  Mr.  O'Flinigan." 

"  O,  indade  I  do,  Mr.  Officer,  and  I'm  the  man  that 
intends  to  vote  for  you." 

"  Mr.  O'Flinigan,  I  cannot  give  you  any  opportunity  to 
smuggle ! " 

"  O,  well,  now,  niver  mind  a  little  joking !  Of  course 
you  know  I  wouldn't  chate  the  governmint  out  of  a  cint 
An'  I  wouldn't  smuggle  the  laste  of  anything  ^uithout 
your  permission  !  But  I  tuk  a  thought  that  may  be  you 
would  think  it  an  act  of  charity  to  a  poor  man  like 
meself  to  get  over  a  small  load  of  sich  things  for  meself 
14* 


822 


REMINISCENCES    OF 


and  a  few  others ;  an'  I  always  tnk  you  to  be  a  charita- 
ble man,  Mr.  Officer,  indade  I  did.  "What  do  you  say 
now?  It's  just  as  I  tell  you;  everything  is  too  dear  on 
this  side  of  the  river,  an'  I've  got  a  large  family  to 
support." 

"  I'm  sorry  for  your  misfortunes,  Mr.  OTlinigan,  but  I 
cannot  aid  you  in  breaking  the  laws ! " 

"But  it's  not  for  meself  I'd  ask  it;  an'  what's  a  poor 
man  to  do  in  this  counthry  if  he  can't  get  enough  for  his 
family  to  ate?" 

"  Mr.  O'Flinigan,  will  you  take  it  kindly  if  I  will  tell 
you  of  a  better  speculation  than  for  you  to  smuggle? 
and  tell  how  you  have  lost  a  comfortable  house  and  lot, 
and  can  get  it  back  again? " 

"  I'm  sure  you  can't  tell  me  that,  now,  for  I  niver  had 
a  house  and  lot  to  lose  1 " 

"  Well,  sir,  how  much  a  day  do  you  waste  for  grog 
and  tobacco?     Be  honest  now  and  we'll  figure  up." 

"  0,  it's  that  you  mane !  Of  course,  now,  your  honor, 
I  wouldn't  be  irriverant,  but  I  wish  ye'd  let  the  timper- 
ance  question  alone,  and  jest  do  me  the  favor  I'm  askin', 
if  ye  plase  I  Indade  it's  jokin'  to  talk  about  the  thrifle 
I've  iver  spint  for  whisky,  or  tobacco,  ather!  An'  ye 
sees  I've  had  the  good  on't  for  the  thrifle  its  cost  me." 

"Mr.  O'Flinigan,  you  must  be  about  fifty,  and  you 
would  be  astonished  should  I  show  that  you  have  spent 
two  thousand  dollars  that  way." 

"  Indade  I  should,  for  I  niver  had  the  half  of  that  in 
all  me  life!" 

"  Well,  now,  Mr.  O'Flinigan,  has  it  cost  you  three  cents 
since  you  were  twentv  years  of  age,  for  tobacco 


lay 


'to'-'} 


A    CUSTOM-HOUSE    OFFICER. 


323 


"  May  be  it  has,  now,  that  little  ! " 

"That,  sir,  is  just  $10.95  a  year  $109.05  for  ten  years, 
and  $327.15  for  thirty  years." 

"  Indade,  now,  tliat  is  more  than  I  thought  it  was  for 
tobaceo — it  ic,  now." 

"  But,  wait,  Mr.  O'Flinigan  ;  we  have  not  reckoned  the 
yearly  interest  on  what  you  have  spent,  which,  at  seven 
per  cent,  for  thirty  years,  would  make  $327  amount  to  a 
little  over  $1200  for  your  tobacco,  and  if  you  have  also 
spent  on  an  average  three  cents  a  day  for  whiskj^^  that  is 
$1200  more,  and  altogether  $2400 ! " 

"  Faith,  now,  an'  its  'asier  to  pr'ache  than  to  practice ! 
an'  even  if  your  figures  are  right,  it's  too  late  +-^  save  it 
now !  I  always  riveranced  Father  Mathew  an'  .e  tim- 
perance  question,  but  it's  not  asy  to  fbller  the  best  o' 
pr'achin'." 

"  If  you  once  get  rid  of  the  habits  you  will  find  it 
easier  than  being  a  slave  to  them !  besides  the  comforts 
saved  to  yourself  and  family  ! " 

"  Indade,  now,  Mr.  Officer,  you  are  a  strange  man  for  a 
'politician^  to  talk  as  if  ye  niver  take  a  '■social  glass,'  nor 
trate  the  friends  that  vote  ye  into  office  .f^ 

Here  my  conversation  with  Mr.  O'Flinigan  was  inter- 
rupted by  other  duties.  A  woman  called  to  inquire  if 
she  could  move  with  her  household  goods  into  the  States 
from  Canada  without  being  required  to  pay  duty. 

I  informed  her  that  the  law  allowed  household  goods 
and  tools  of  trade  to  be  brought  into  the  country  free  of 
duty,  if  they  had  been  in  use  one  year,  and  were  not 
intended  for  sale. 


324 


REMINISCENCES    OF 


"Nearly  everything  we  had,"  said  she,  "has  been 
burned  up,  as  well  as  the  house  we  lived  in ;  and,  in 
trying  to  save  our  only  child  from  the  flames,  my  poor 
husband  lost  his  life.  And  I  am  trying  to  get  back  home. 
It  is  not  quite  a  year  since  we  bought  these  household 
goods  in  Canada.  Will  I  have  to  pay  duty  if  it  is  not 
quite  a  year  ?  " 

"  Madam,  what  is  the  value  of  the  goods  you  wish  to 
bring?" 

"  Not  more  than  fiftv  dollars'  worth.  That  is  all  there 
was  saved  from  the  lire,  except  the  carpenter's  tools  my 
husband  worked  with.  I  have  no  money  to  pay  duty  on 
goods  nor  on  the  tools." 

Both  questions  puzzled  me.  The  law,  strictly  to  the 
letter,  required  that  duty  should  be  paid  on  the  house- 
hold goods,  because  they  had  not  been  in  use  one  year ; 
and,  yet  it  seemed  I  ought  to  take  a  liberal  view  of  this 
case,  under  the  circumstances.  Then  as  to  the  "tools  of 
trade"  which  the  law  allowed  a  person  to  bring  into  the 
country  "for  use"  and  "not  for  sale,"  what  was  I  to  say 
about  that  ?  It  was  not  likely  that  a  woman  was  bring- 
ing carpenter's  tools  into  the  country  with  the  intention 
of  using  them,  but  more  likely  with  the  intention  of 
disposing  of  them  at  some  future  favorable  opportunity. 
And  yet,  ought  I  to  charge  duty  upon  the  effects  of  this 
poor,  unfortunate  woman,  when  I  could  have  passed  the 
same  "tools  of  trade  "yree  of  duty  for  her  husband,  in  case 
he  had  lived  to  have  moved  here  with  her  ? 

Well,  reader,  what  would  you  have  decided  on  these 
could  have  construed  the  law,  or  "the 


ponits 


you 


A    CUSTOM-HOUSE    OFFICER. 


825 


spirit  of  the  law  "  in  favor  of  such  poverty,  misfortune 
and  grief,  you  would  have  done  so.  Perhaps  /  did. 
Perhaps  I  believed  that  my  superiors  in  office  were  sensi- 
ble enough  not  to  censure  my  course  in  any  case  till  they 
gave  me  opportunity  to  show  all  the  particulars. 


CHAPTER  Y. 


Excursion  Parties  crossing  the  Bridge  — Amusing  Incidents  —  More  Information 
about  Custom-house  matters— Qualities  requisite  for  an  Officer- How  to  please 
the  Public  and  still  inspect  their  Baggage— The  Stove-pipe  Hat— The  man  who 
said  "by  Mighty  "-Emigrants  crossing  the  Bridge— Other  Incidents. 

Every  few  days  there  crossed  this  frontier  a  company 
of  hardy-looking  foreigners,  bound  for  the  Western  lands 
of  the  United  States.  Most  of  them  crossed  the  bridge 
in  the  cars,  but  it  happened  very  often  that  as  many  as 
twenty-five  to  fifty  families,  with  all  the  hand-baggage  of 
bundles,  babies  and  boxes  which  they  could  carry,  passed 
on  foot,  having  gotten  off  the  cars  to  see  the  place,  and 
to  buy  bread,  supplies  of  which  were  kept  for  sale  by 
Germans  of  the  village.  I  noticed  that  these  foreigners 
looked  economical,  but  never  ragged  or  shiftless.  They 
were  dressed  comfortably  well,  but  plain ;  the  women  all 
seemed  to  despise  the  folly  of  fashion's  extravagance. 
In  warm  weather,  unlike  American  women,  they  seemed 
to  have  no  troublesome  fears  about  "  tanning,"  no  anxiety 
about  complexijn.  Many  were  entirely  bareheaded ;  and 
the  twenty-five  cent  head-fixtures  which  some  of  them 


326 


REMINISCENCES    OF 


wore  it  was  impossible  for  even  a  Yankee  to  invent  or 
discover  a  reason  for.  Whenever  these  cheap  head  fix- 
tures, however,  were  thick  enough  to  warrant  the  conclu- 
sion, I  took  my  Yankee  privilege  of  "guessing"  that 
their  use  was  a  protection  against  burdens  which  they 
might  find  it  convenient  to  carry  upon  their  heads  after 
the  fashion  of  the  Swiss;  and  then  I  conjectured  that 
the  light  fixtures  were  a  mere  style  which  had  descended 
from  the  useful  to  the  unornamental  and  useless.  An 
American  lady  frequently  wears  what  is  equally  useless 
and  just  as  unbecoming,  but  takes  good  care  to  have  it 
cost  a  little  extravagantly,  so  that  her  servant  girl  cannot 
afford  the  same. 

Although  these  hardy  German  women  seemed  able  to 
endure  hardships  and  inconveniences,  I  saw  nothing  in 
their  costumes  of  such  useless  bulk  as  a  lady's  waterfall 
of  1866.  Either  from  pride  or  some  other  reason,  they 
were  traveling  without  that  mysterious  material  bound  to 
the  back  of  their  heads !  Although  emigrants  who  have 
traveled  three  thousand  miles  are  not  always  noted  for 
their  tidy  appearance,  yet  I  never  saw  one  of  these  women 
wearing  a  street  dress  of  such  length  as  to  drag  the  dust 
around  her  feet.  It  seemed  as  if  the  dress  of  a  German 
woman  was  made  to  wear.  They  seemed  also  to  have 
adopted  the  principle  of  "woman's  rights."  They  acted 
like  men ;  took  the  right  to  carry  their  own  baggage  like 
the  men,  and  so  far  as  I  ceuld  observe,  they  seemed  to 
expect  and  receive  no  more  attention  or  favors  from  the  men 
than  the  men  bestowed  upon  each  other.  It  was  a  singular 
fact  that  of  the  numerous  crowds  of  emigrants  crossing 


A    CUSTOM-HOUSE    OFFICER. 


327 


tins  bridge  and  pressing  their  way  Westward,  nearly  all 
were  Germans. 

But  here  now  is  an  exciting  day  at  Niagara  Falls.  An 
exeursion  party  of  hundreds  of  Canadians  have  arrived, 
and  another  of  Americans.  They  have  just  left  the  cars 
and  are  crossing  the  bridge  on  foot  in  long,  crowded  lines. 
And  in  order  to  view  the  bridge,  the  falls  and  the  rapids 
to  advantage,  they  pass  one  w^ay  upon  the  lower  floor 
and  return  on  the  upper  floor,  on  either  side  of  the  rail- 
road track,  and  ascend  or  descend  by  the  winding  stairs 
at  either  end  of  the  bridge. 

As  these  crowds  leave  the  bridge  they  are  talkative, 
but  as  they  approach  it  they  are  silent  with  wonder  and 
admiration.  If  the  excursion  is  an  intelligent  picnic 
party,  it  is  safe  to  declare  that  while  they  first  gaze  on 
the  scene  before  them  none  are  thinking  of  sponge-cake 
or  pickles  and  sandwiches.  But  here  they  are  coming 
from  Canada,  and  I  must  inspect  their  baggage.  Stop  a 
moment.  You  are  laughing  at  my  inconsistency,  and 
perhaps  you  are  saying,  verily  the  author  of  these  remin- 
iscences must  be  writing  under  difficulties  to  talk  about 
inspecting  the  luggage  of  a  picnic  party  I 

But,  dear  critic,  I  assure  you  upon  my  honor,  that  of 
all  the  baggage  from  trunk  to  bandbox  or  basket  that 
passed  my  office,  that  of  a  picnic  party  was  the  most 
delicious  for  inspection.  And  by  the  proper  tact  at 
turning  my  duty  into  a  humorous  examination,  I  found 
offense  was  seldom  taken ;  and  often  I  was  invited  to 
knov/  by  actual  inspection  whether  the  contents  would 
bear  the  praises  I  had  bestowed  upon  their  delicious 


328 


REMINISCENCES    OF 


appearance.  For  of  course  I  always  lavished  on  tlieni. 
the  usual  compliment  tliat  the  fruit,  which  I  suspected 
had  grown  in  their  own  orchards,  or  the  frosted  cake 
made  in  their  own  kitchens,  was  the  ^^  nicest  I  ever  saw^ 
I  confess  I  met  with  poor  success  in  convincing  some 
people  crossing  with  the  picnickers  of  my  authority  for, 
or  the  propriety  of  inspecting  the  contents  of  huge  bas- 
kets or  hand-satchels,  when  they  knew  so  well  that  their 
luggage  contained  only  fruit,  and  frosted  cake.  But  gen- 
erally I  succeeded  in  convincing  the  most  obtuse  indi- 
vidual that  no  customs  officer  with  ordinary  liuman  eyes 
by  only  looking  on  the  outside  of  an  opake  bundle,  bas- 
ket or  traveling-bag,  could  see  the  contents  of  the  same ; 
and  if  a  custom-house  officer  was  bound  to  prevent  smug- 
gling by  inspecting  any  baggage,  it  was  his  duty  to  pre- 
vent any  smuggler  from  taking  sucb  an  opportunity  to 
bring  a  huge  basket  full  of  kid  gloves  into  the  United 
States,  instead  of  sandwiches.  A  silk  dress  pattern  that 
might  be  carried  in  a  satchel  would  have  cost  at  that 
time  (1866)  fifty  dollars  in  gold,  and  was  liable  to  a  duty 
of  sixty  per  cent. ;  hence  it  was  not  too  small  a  matter 
to  save  thirty  dollars  in  gold  for  the  government,  whose 
war  to  put  down  the  rebellion  had  left  our  country  in 
debt  twenty-five  hundred  millions  of  dollars  I 

But  there  were  times  when  there  was  no  time  to  reply 
to  the  angry  comments  of  now  and  then  a  person  in  a 
crowd  of  footmen  and  carriages  who  had  never  before 
passed  a  custom-house  office.  At  such  a  time  and  with 
those  who  neither  understood  nor  admired  the  inquisitive 
duty  of  a  customs  officer,  the  only  remedy  to  prevent 


A    CUSTOM-HOUSE    OFFICER. 


329 


in 


contention  and  yet  dispatch  business,  was  to  assume  the 
authority  of  an  officer  in  a  manner  that  implied  duty  and 
business !  but  discriminating,  of  course,  according  to  the 
apparent  intelhgence  of  the  person  addressed,  that  he 
might  not  mistake  duty  and  dispatch  to  go  away  and 
report  that  the  officer's  manner  was  worse  than  his  duty. 

The  few  frontier  residents  who  crossed  this  bridge  in 
carriages,  generally  intended  to  return  the  same  day; 
sometimes  not  until  two  or  three  days;  and  it  would 
have  been  a  very  great  inconvenience  to  the  people  living 
near  the  line  of  the  two  countries  if  the  officers  of  customs 
for  both  countries  were  not  permitted  to  use  their  discre- 
tion in  allowing  people  to  drive  into  the  country  without 
payment  of  duty  for  a  few  hours  or  longer,  on  a  visit,  or 
on  business,  in  cases  where  the  officer  had  reason  to 
believe  the  parties  were  honest  and  would  return  their 
conveyances.  This  to  some  extent  was  done ;  in  which 
cases  the  name  and  a  description  of  the  horses  and  vehi- 
cles were  recorded  in  a  book  kept  for  such  purposes  by 
the  officer,  and  the  parties  were  required  to  return  and 
report  the  same  at  some  specified  time.  They  were 
informed  that  if  they  did  not  report  within  the  required 
time  that  their  conveyance  would  be  liable  to  seizure. 

In  cases  where  the  officer  did  not  feel  satisfied  to  trust 
persons,  as  in  the  case  of  entire  strangers,  who  could 
give  no  satisfactory  references,  they  were  sometimes  per- 
mitted to  deposit  the  amount  of  duties  as  security,  and 
on  their  returning  the  dutiable  property  to  Canada  the 
money  was  refunded.  Persons  driving  through  Canada, 
from  "the  States,"  especially,  had  to  make  this  arrange- 


830 


REMINISCENCES    OF 


mciit  with  the  Cuiiadian  custom-house  ofllcci'S.  They 
drew  back  the  amount  left  as  security,  at  tlie  port  where 
they  went  out  of  Canada.  But  all  this  would  not  clear 
them  from  other  difficulties  unless  before  entering  Canada 
they  had  taken  an  "export  certificate"  of  their  dutiable 
property  from  the  United  States  custom  house,  to  show 
to  the  United  States  officer  at  the  port  where  they  again 
entered  the  States. 

Well,  here  comes  a  horse  and  buggy  from  the  Canada 
side.  There  are  two  persons  in  the  old,  open  buggy. 
One  is  a  surly,  thin-visaged,  cross-looking  old  gentleman  ; 
his  face  is  red,  and  with  other  indications,  it  is  evident 
he  has  a  habit  of  drinking  too  much  whisky ;  his  hat 
belongs  to  the  stove-pipe  style,  and  was  probably  once 
new.  If  this  should  become  a  matter  of  any  importance 
to  know  in  evidence,  I  have  no  doubt  but  our  old  custom- 
house detective  or  the  chief  of  the  Niagara  police,  could 
determine  tlie  probable  time  when  he  purchased  it  by  a 
calculation  based  on  facts  and  supposition.  As  near^as 
I  can  myself  make  out  the  date,  without  making  a  draw- 
ing of  the  hat  and  consulting  a  professional  hatter,  I 
should  say  the  style  was  one  in  vogue  seven  years  prior 
to  the  time  now  under  consideration,  and  that  the  miserly 
appearing  old  man,  looking  his  red  eyes  from  under  its 
brim,  had  bought  it  one  year  out  of  date  that  he  might 
be  able  to  spend  the  amount  saved  thereby  in  whisky. 
The  width  of  his  coat  collar  indicates  also  that  it  was 
about  that  time  that  he  treated  himself  to  a  new  suit  of 
clothes ;  but  since  that  time  he  had  probably  treated 
himself  to  other  "treats"  which  he  much  preferred,  and 


A    CUSTOM-HOUSE    OFFICER. 


831 


of  a  kind  suggested  by  his  strawberry  nose.  His  whis- 
kers are  so  gray  that  they  arc  ahnost  white,  excei)t  where 
some  late  stains  of  tobaceo-juice  have  asserted  claims 
over  other  hair  dyes  for  superior  hue  and  neatness !  His 
shirt-collar,  though  not  of  the  most  approved  pattern,  is 
clean  and  well  ironed,  as  if  the  neat,  plain,  care-worn 
woman  by  his  side,  frail  as  she  is,  is  the  faithful  wife, 
struggling  to  keep  alive  the  last  spark  of  Iter  liusbantVs  self- 
respect. 

lie  is  evidently  sober  now,  but  it  is  more  evident  that 
he  prefers  to  be  otherwise.  He  is  restless,  disagreeable 
and  unreasonable,  and  all  this  and  more  you  read  at  a 
glance  as  he  stops  and  hands  his  ticket  for  crossing  the 
bridge  to  the  gate-keeper,  and  swears  at  the  weather  for 
its  prospect  of  rain. 

There  is  a  crowd  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  waiting  for 
him  to  pass  the  toll  office.  And  as  he  is  a  stranger,  I 
am  waiting  his  report  to  the  customs  office.  Ilis  wife,  in 
a  low  whisper,  seems  to  have  gently  attempted  to  check 
him  from  swearing  "before  all  these  people,"  and  then  in 
a  savage  undertone  I  hear  him  curse  her  !  and  the  crowdy 
tool 

But  now  he  is  starting  up  his  horse  with  another  curse 
and  a  blow  from  his  cudgel.  And  it  is  time  for  me  to 
inquire  if  he  wishes  to  make  any  report  to  the  custom  house , 
for  he  evidently  has  no  intention  of  making  any  report. 
But  it  is  in  this  way  I  prefer  to  call  this  crabbed,  old 
man's  attention.  This  will  only  seem  to  suggest  that  as 
he  has  fully  passed  my  office  door  he  is  probably  mis- 
taking where  to  make  his  intended  report     Of  course  a 


832 


REMINISCENCES    OF 


man  of  his  morLid  sensitiveness,  wLicli,  I  liavc  already 
discovered,  will  not  well  bear  to  have  me  speak  in  any 
manner  ■which  he  can  construe  as  implying  ignorance  of 
custom-house  rules!  In  fact,  such  men  don't  like  the 
use  of  any  terms  that  can  possibly  remind  them  of  any 
of  their  numerous  faults. 

So  I  said  (for  while  in  my  office  room  I  was  in  easy 
talking  distance,)  "here,  sir,  is  where  you  report  to  the 
custom  house." 

He  halted,  as  if  half-surprised,  and  in  a  coarse,  angry 
voice  replied : 

"  Well,  what  of  it,  if  it  is  ?  /  don't  have  to  make  any 
report." 

"You  are  a  stranger  to  me,  sir,  but  I  suppose  your 
horse  and  wagon  belongs  on  the  Canada  side?" 

"Of  course  it  does,"  he  replied,  "and  what  odds  does 
that  make,  when  I'm  only  coming  over  here  on  a  visit, 
and  am  going  to  take  it  back  again  when  I  get  ready  I 
Or,  do  you  take  me  for  a  cussed  smuggler  f^ 

"My  friend,"  said  I,  "I  suppose  you  must  be  aware 
that  I  ought  not  to  allow  entire  strangers  to  pass  the  cus- 
toms office  with  dutiable  property,  without  knowing  who 
they  are,  and  when  the  property  is  to  be  returned  to 
Canadii." 

"  Well,  sir,  my  word  is  all  you  need  1 " 

"But,  perhaps,"  said  I,  "you  can  refer  me  to  some 
person  here  who  knows  you." 

"I  don't  ask  anybody  to  back  my  word,  sir — not  no 
man^  sir  f^ 

"  Are  you  going  to  return  to  Canada  to-day  ?  " 


A     CUSTOM    HOUSE    OFFICER. 


333 


"  Well,  by  mighty  1  you  custom-house  ofllcers  arc  get- 
ting cussed  particular  over  here  in  the  States.  But  I 
know  what  your  duties  are  as  well  as  you  I  " 

*'  Then,  of  course,  my  dear  sir,  you  will  give  mc  some 
reference,  or  state  where  you  wish  to  go,  or  when  you 
wish  to  return  this  horse  and  buggy  to  Canada." 

"Well,  by  mighty!  I've  lived  within  ten  miles  of 
this  frontier  for  years,  and  the  United  States  is  getting 
cussed  impudent  if  we  can't  come  over  here  without  all 
this  fuss ! " 

Then  while  he  went  on  to  swear  about  things  in  gen- 
eral, his  wife  told  me  where  they  were  going ;  that  they 
were  only  intending  to  call  an  hour  or  two  on  a  friend, 
and  then  go  back.  "It  will  be  all  right,"  said  she, 
mildly. 

"Yes,  it's  all  right,  of  course,"  chimed  in  the  old 
grumbler,  "  but  it's  cussed  impudent  to  bother  an  old  man 
like  me !     Does  he  think  I'm  a  smuggler  ?  " 

"Never  mind,  husband,  the  man  must  do  his  duty." 

"  Well,  what  in  cuss  has  that  got  to  do  with  me'l  I'm 
no  smuggler.  I  wouldn't  even  sell  as  good  a  horse  as  this 
is,  to  any  such  cussed  country !  for  none  o'  their  aboli- 
tion greenbacks.     Of  course  I  wouldn't." 

On  the  word  of  his  lady  I  decided  to  pass  them  ;  and 
addressing  her  I  said : 

"  Madam,  if  you  are  only  going  to  see  Mr.  A 

B ,  at  the hotel,  and  are  to  return  so  soon,  I 

will  register  this  gentleman's  name,  if  you  please,  and  you 
will  please  report  when  you  return." 

"  What  is  the  use,"  said  the  voice  from  under  the  stove- 
pipe hat,  "of  such  cussed  foolishness  as  that?'' 


334 


REMINISCENCES    OF 


"And  the  box,  there,"  said  I,  "in  your  buggy,  it  is 
my  duty  to  inspect  that." 

"  There,  by  mighty ! "  exclaimed  the  mouth  under  the 
strawberry  nose  as  the  stove-pipe  hat  magnified  an  angry 
shake  of  the  old  man's  head,  "do  you  want  to  examine 
a  box  of  horse-feed  because  there  is  two  or  three  dozen 
eggs  in  it?" 

"  Why,  husband,  do  let  the  man  look  into  the  box," 
said  his  wife,  removing  the  cover,  "  how  can  the  oiTicer 
know  what  may  be  in  boxes  without  a  chance  to  see 
inside  of  them?" 

Then,  speaking  to  me,  she  said : 

"  We  know  we've  no  right  to  smuggle,  but  we  thought 
custom  hou.ses  don't  notice  two  or  three  shillings'  worth 
of  anything,  so  I  put  into  this  box  just  three  dozen  eggs 
for  a  present     That's  all  right,  isn't  it  ?  " 

"Say,  Mr.  Officer,"  interrupted  the  old  man,  "are  you 
going  to  let  us  pass  or  not?  or,  are  you  going  to  keep  us 
here  a  whole  cussed  hour,  by  mighty  I '" 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  sir,  but  is  it  I,  or  you,  who  are 
causing  so  many  unnecessary  words?" 

"It's  you,  sir,  hj  being  so  cussed  particular,  /know 
what  your  duty  is.  You've  no  business  to  inspect  things 
and  bother  people  this  way,  when  you  know  they  are  not 
smugglers." 

"Stranger,"  said  I,  with  forced  calmness,  "you  are  an 
older  man  than  myself,  but  allow  me  to  inquire  what 
business  you  follow  ?  " 

"  Me  ?  I've  kept  tavern  thirty  years  within  ten  miles 
of  here,  and  you've  no  business  to  questiou  iiio  as  if  I 
were  a  smuggler." 


IfA 


A  cusTo:vr- HOUSE  officer. 


335 


"  Do  you  trust  your  liquor  to  every  stranger  who  swears 
he  knows  your  business  better  than  you  know  it  yourself? 
and  would  such  course  recommend  him  to  your  favor?" 

"  Not  by  a  miglity  sight !  " 

"Why,  then,  should  your  course  recommend  you  to 
my  favor?  But  you  may  pass  and  return  to-day,  sir. 
What  is  your  name  ?  " 

"  Smith,  sir,  Smith ! " 

"Any  other  name  besides  Smith,  sir?" 

"  Yes,  sir,  John  Smith— John  Smith's  my  name,  sir ! " 

So  I  registered  John  Smith,  at  last,  realizing  that  that 
name  meant  almost  anybody,  but  thought  I  could  safely 
rely  on  Ms  description  ! 

^  Toward  night  John  Sm.itli,  the  aforesaid,  of  the  stove- 
pipe hat  and  strawberry  nose,  tavern  keeper,  went  back 
with  same  horse  and  buggy.  John  Smith  nearer  the 
point  of  being  intoxicated,  but  b.;tter  natured;  from 
which  it  would  appear  that  being  drunk  was  his  most 
normal  habit ! 

Let  us  hope  that  John  Smith  finally  reformed,  and  that 
whatever  was  unseemly  in  his  manner,  even  so  far  as 
recorded  here,  will  lead  some  reader  to  consider  his  own 
doings  or  his  own  sayings.  Let  us  hope,  too,  that  life 
among  all  classes  will  become  at  last  so  correct  that  no 
rough  things  need  be  pictured  to  lead  any  to  avoid  in 
themselves  what  they  criticise  in  others. 


